


Bloodlines: Always and Forever

by SazzyAuzzy



Series: Bloodlines [2]
Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Family, Hunters, Magic, Original Characters - Freeform, Originals - Freeform, Romance, Sex, Siblings, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, alternative universe, bloodline, sire line, spells, the vampire diaries - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-23 15:15:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30057453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SazzyAuzzy/pseuds/SazzyAuzzy
Summary: Alexandra Gilbert life took a turn when one of the original vampires showed up and wanted to sacrifice her younger sister. Now, five years later, she is in love with Elijah Mikaelson and has a life that she never expected. But the peace and normality that Alex and her family have strived for abruptly disappears when Kol Mikaelson vanishes and all signs lead Alex and Elijah back to Mystic Falls. But that isn't all; the Council, the coven that Alex turned her back on seem determined to kill her more than ever, and Alex thinks that there is more to it than simple revenge when she finds information that leads her straight to Esther, the Original Witch.
Relationships: Alaric Saltzman/Jenna Sommers, Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, OC/Elijah Mikaelson
Series: Bloodlines [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873285
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I am back with the sequel to 'Bloodlines'. 
> 
> If you haven't read that, then make sure you do, because this won't make sense otherwise.
> 
> But we are back, it's five years later and Alex is still the badass witch that I really do love. Her relationship with Elijah just makes me squeal with joy.
> 
> There isn't much that I need to say, everything is explained, so just read and enjoy.

Wednesday afternoons were normally quiet; the lunch rush would die off, and Alex would make her way through Raven’s, wiping down tables, collecting the last few bills and dishes, and restocking the alcohol to make sure that they were ready for the end of the day. Customers would generally find their way through the door around five-thirty; the few hours in between Alex used as some spare time to focus on her other job, her witchy duties.

It had been five years since she had broken away from the coven known as the Council. Once a group of witches that Alex had admired and worked under. Their mission was to rid the world of vampires. For many years, Alex had been brainwashed—that’s how she looked at it—to believe that every single vampire on the planet was pure evil and deserved to spend eternity suffering for what they had done. It took one very special vampire for Alex to realise just how far she had been misled and had been trying to make up for what she had done by helping those around her; human, witch, werewolf and vampire alike. It was the same thing her grandmother had done; Nadia Ravenwood had turned her back on the very same coven and had helped those in need.

Alex placed the last few dirty glasses into the dishwasher and flicked it shut as the jukebox finished its song. Taking one glance around the empty bar, she grabbed a clean glass and poured herself some water before hopping up onto the bar and summoning her grimoire.

One of the few tasks that she had been focusing on was connecting with her ancestors; Alex wasn’t after the additional power boost—not that it wouldn’t come in handy—but she craved a connection to her biological family. She was still a Gilbert; Miranda and Grayson had adopted and raised her as their own; Elena and Jeremy were still her younger sister and brother; nothing would ever change that. But Alex had never been given a chance—or allowed to learn—about the Ravenwood family. And ever since she had learned the truth about what had happened to her Grandmother, Nadia, she wanted to find that connection. Communing with magical ancestors required patient and practice. Still, in five years, Alex hadn’t been able to get more than a whisper. It was frustrating, but she wouldn’t let that stop her.

In between attempts to connect with her dead family members, Alex kept herself busy. Her living family members had managed to stay out of trouble and even live almost normal humans lives. Without the looming threat of psychotic vampires hanging over Elena’s head, Alex was able to step back and live her own life without constant worry.

The grimoire had originally been her grandmother’s; Elijah had given it to her not long after they met. Alex believed that it was meant to be a peace offering of sorts, his way of trying to tell her that she could trust him. At the time, Alex had been so confused by her own messed up emotions and dealing with Elijah crazy brother that she hadn’t realised how big him handing over the book was. It was full of spells that could cause many issues for vampires, but he had given it to her because it was something that Alex should have. The grimoire had grown since Alex had first looked through its pages. She had added her own spells, adjusted old ones, and even Bonnie and Sarah had both added a few pages here and there. It was a lot more than just her grandmother’s grimoire now.

Turning to the tracking spell that she had marked a few days prior, Alex looked over her notes. The spell could be used in many different ways; personal items, blood, or even another person could be used to anchor the spell and find whomever or whatever you were looking for. Since Alex had awoken the Mikaelson siblings, she had been using the spell often to give Elijah some peace of mind; after all, Rebekah, Kol and Finn were still relatively new to the twenty-first century.

The siblings had been mostly well behaved; Rebekah hadn’t gone far, Kol seemed to come and go, and Finn had well and truly wandered off. The last time she had checked in on him, Finn had been in England. But since Elijah asked her so often to check in on his rambunctious siblings, she had joked just the other day, while lying across the couch in their apartment, that he should just implant them with a tracking device. Her prod at his overprotective nature resulted in Alex now exploring the possibility of creating a magical way to track them without the need for her to cast the spell.

So far, Alex had concluded that it wasn’t impossible. To maintain the magic, she would need an object that they would need to carry. Similar to the way a Daylight Ring worked. The spell that allowed vampires to walk in the sun had to be contained with the ring; it was possible she could accomplish the same thing were her tracking spell. But that would only be half of what she actually wanted to achieve, but it was certainly a start.

Alex flipped to the daylight spell and wrote down the ingredients; she would need to do a few tests. But first, she needed to stock up on some herbs.

The bar’s door swung open, breaking Alex’s concentration on her list and focusing on the patron who strolled casually down towards her. Most customers didn’t phase her; it wasn’t often that someone would come in during the quiet periods of the day, but with the amount of magic radiating off this man, she knew that he wasn’t just any regular customer.

When he stopped by the bar, he smirked in her direction. It was smug and made Alex’s skin crawl.

There were plenty of witches that stopped by to ask Alex for help; sometimes, they brought friends. But after turning on the Council, she was always hesitant when they came in alone with no warning. Raven’s whole purpose was to have a place where all supernaturals could come and enjoy themselves; it also evolved and became a place where she helped those in need. But she still had instincts, and no matter how many witches, werewolves or vampires walked through her doors, she would always be cautious.

Elijah had also given her an earful about ‘helping strays’. He hadn’t realised that buying her an old factory and renovating it into a bar would lead to Alex having such dealings.

The man leant against the bar.

Alex said, “Kitchen’s closed till five.” She broke eye contact with him and looked back down at her notes.

He hummed in acknowledgement. “That’s alright, sweetheart.”

Alex cringed at the nickname.

“I’ll take a beer.” The man pulled off his jacket and hung it over the back of the barstool before sitting down on the one next to it.

Alex put her stuff to the side and slid off the bar to serve the man.

“This is a nice place you have here,” he said.

The magic buzzing around the man was rubbing Alex the wrong way. While most witches could sense one another from a simple touch, the energy around everyone felt different to her. It seemed to be an ability shared by the witches from her bloodline. “Did you want tap or bottle?” she asked him.

“Tap, thanks.” He smiled at her.

Instead of it seeming friendly, the look sent an ice chill down Alex’s back. She poured the drink and very quickly waved her hand over the liquid. It had been a trick that Renee, her old mentor, had taught her back when she was still learning. A wordless sedative that could be placed on any sort of consumable or object and activated at any point after it was consumed or touched. Powerful witches could probably sense such a trick. Still, Alex found that when someone acts as comfortable as the man before her, he believed that either Alex was no threat to him, or he was just extremely cocky.

She placed the beer in front of him. “That will be six bucks.”

The man nodded and slapped down a few one-dollar bills.

Alex held in the smirk when she could feel the magic coming off the bills. The man had done the same thing to the money that she had done to his drink.

“I’m surprised you don’t remember me,” the man spoke. He picked up the beer and took a swig.

Alex leant against the bar, crossed her arms and frowned. “I meet a lot of people.” And that was true, but she couldn’t place his face from anywhere in particular.

He shrugged. “I suppose that is true. I’ve heard a lot of different things from other witches about you.”

“Oh, really?” Alex was annoyed at the idea of this man’s small talk.

She wondered if he was sent by the Council. He wouldn’t be the first, and he probably wouldn’t be the last; what she did wish is that he would just get on with it and not draw out the necessary conversation that these witches seemed to enjoy so much.

“They tell me that you sympathise with vampires, that your friends with them.” The man cringed and took another drink. “I found it hard to believe that you of all witches had sunk so low.” Another sip. “I prefer to think about the stories from your hunting days; how you hunted vampires ruthlessly, how you destroyed their kind without even a hint of remorse. But you went and got some from an original bloodsucker and turned into a monster sympathiser.”

Alex let a chuckle slip from her lips.

In the last few years, since she had turned against the Council and killed Renee, Alex had come face to face with eight different witches. All of them had been sent by the Council; all of them had one goal. Each of them had relayed a similar speech before Alex had smacked them into the ground. She hadn’t killed all of them herself, Elijah had torn the hearts from two, and Rebekah had torn one apart after she had attempted to torture her. The first deaths had been hard on Alex; she struggled with the guilt of killing her own kind. It had been Elijah and Elena whose constant reassurance that she was protecting herself and those she loved, and to stop the Council she would most likely have to resort to killing a lot more.

“Do you find me funny?” the man asked. He pushed himself up from the bar and glared at her.

“I find your little speech amusing.” Alex tilted her head. “Do the Council tell you to relay that story before they send you down?”

The man huffed.

“And tell me, did they tell you about the others they sent before you? And what happened to them?”

A vein appeared along his forehead. “You are going to pay for the deaths you have caused. Your magic will be stripped, and you will burn.”

Alex smirked. “If your goal was to beat me, then maybe you shouldn’t have drunk a drink that I poured for you.” She pushed off the bar and took a step towards him. “Have a nice nap?”

Snapping her fingers, the spelled liquid that he had consumed took over and made him fall to the floor. Looking down at the now unconscious witch, Alex frowned. What was she supposed to do with him now? If she dumped him somewhere and allowed him to wake up, he would just come back. Witches knew that you didn’t go back to the Council empty handed.

Climbing over the bar, she looked at the man and then towards the open door. She twisted her hand, and the door lock clicked; no human needed to walk in on this and cause issues. Alex pulled her phone from her pocket and dialled the closest assistance.

“I haven’t heard from you in over a week; where have you been?” Rebekah’s voice howled down the line.

Alex couldn’t help but smile.

The first meeting hadn’t gone exactly to plan; Elijah had removed her dagger minutes after Alex had revived him. The blood bag that was waiting for her apparently was less appetising than the hot blood flowing through Alex’s veins, but when Rebekah lunged, Alex forced her to the ground with an overwhelming aneurysm and a smile. There had never been an apology from either of them for their actions, but once the family had time to catch up and Alex explained that Klaus was currently in his own coffin on a time out, Rebekah was her new best friend.

Now Alex couldn’t escape her. The two of them had found that there were many things they had in common, taste in music and men, but they also loved a good movie night with popcorn. Elijah had experienced on more than one occasion in the past few years being kicked out of the apartment he shared with Alex, by Rebekah who wanted a girl’s night.

It had been odd becoming comfortable with Rebekah, an original vampire, whom once upon a time Alex would have spent her time trying to find a weakness to kill her. Instead, they shared popcorn and gossiped like teenagers.

“Pipe down, I’ve been busy,” said Alex.

Rebekah huffed. “No excuses. Elijah may be knocking boots with you under the covers, but that doesn’t mean he can hog you.”

Alex sighed and laughed. “I’m not a possession.”

“Maybe not, but he needs to learn to share,” said Rebekah.

Alex held her phone against her ear with her shoulder and grabbed the man’s jacket that was hanging over the back of the chair. “Anyway,” she said, “I had a little run-in at Raven’s with another witch from the Council…”

“And you need body disposal?”

Alex frowned. “No, if you let me finish.”

“Sorry, but if there is a mess to be made, then call Elijah because I am wearing my new Gucci shoes,” said Rebekah.

Alex rolled her eyes. “Elijah headed to New York two days ago, so he isn’t here. What I need is for you to come and collect the unconscious witch on the floor of my bar and take him back to the loft so I can interrogate him later.”

Rebekah huffed.

Before Alex could speak any further, the blonde vampire appeared in front of her.

Alex smiled. “Please,” she said.

Ending the call, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and dug into the man’s jacket pockets.

Rebekah sighed. “Fine, but you owe me. I was on my way over to suggest we go out tonight but torturing a witch will just have to suffice.”

Alex said, “Keep the torture to a minimum. I have ways of getting the information without this ending in cold-blooded murder.”

She pulled a key card, from a hotel, out of the jacket and glanced at the name.

Rebekah pouted. “You take the fun out of everything.” She grabbed the man’s leg and started dragging him towards the back door. “Don’t take too long; the longer you make me wait, the more likely I am to start peeling off his skin.”

Alex cringed. “That’s so gross,” she said.

Rebekah paused and smirked over her shoulder. “But effective.” With a flash, she was gone.

It still baffled Alex most days that this was now the norm for her.

The hotel key card read ‘The Grand’. There was only one hotel that a member of the council could afford that had a name like that; it was a crappy hotel known more for its bed bugs than its award-winning stained sheets. It was the place for a bad guy to hold up while he stalked his target. She slipped the key into her back pocket and checked the other pocket. She pulled out a wallet and flipped it open to see his ID. Roman Sandford, 34. Alex pulled the few bills of cash and dropped the wallet back into the pocket.

“He won’t be needing this,” she said.

*

*

*

The drive across town had been quiet. The light traffic and soft music allowed Alex to relax and take a breath. It wasn’t the first time she’d had tied up a witch who had attempted to capture her, and it wouldn’t be the last. The Council had been relentless the past few years, but these last few months, the number of witches showing up seemed to have increased.

They had never had any sort of concern about the witches; Alex’s abilities grew stronger every day, and with two Originals around her constantly, she was safe. Bonnie was also a regular visitor along with Sarah. The three of them made some sort of weird unofficial coven.

Sarah had stayed in Mystic Fall’s after James, Sarah’s older brother and Alex’s ex, had died. She had buried him at the Mystic Fall’s cemetery to keep him close. Alex’s family had welcomed her into the Gilbert family home; she took over Alex’s old room and soon found herself feeling more at home than she had been in years. Even though Sarah held nothing against Alex for James’ death, Alex found it difficult to not hate herself for it. Sarah and James had lost both of their parents young, had been brought into the Council by Renee, and in less than a few days, Sarah lost her brother and left the Council. Alex felt responsible for her and what had happened.

The past few years had done them both some good. Sarah had decided to go to college and study art; she had always had a natural talent with a brush. Since there wasn’t much else she wanted to do, she headed to Whitmore College with Elena, Bonnie and Caroline. It was hard to believe that it was their final year and that in less than twelve months, all four of them would be graduating.

Alex pulled into the parking lot of ‘The Grand’ motel. As she remembered, it was old, run-down and seriously needed a new paint job. There were only two other cars in the whole parking lot. It was perfect for someone who was looking for a place to lay low and stalk their prey. She had done the same thing back with James when she had first started hunting vampires. It had also been the place where she had admitted that James was more than just a friend. ‘The Grand’ held memories that were hard to forget, but she needed to focus.

She cut the engine and pulled out the room key; the room number was 23. Grabbing her bag and phone, she hopped out and glanced around. The two other cars were parked on the opposite side of her. The furthest, a green sedan with the paint peeling off the hood, was outside the office, which meant it likely belonged to whoever had the unfortunate job of working there. The other, a blue truck, in much better condition and parked across the lot from her. Alex doubted that Roman had brought a car; it would have been silly to follow her around in a vehicle, and she hadn’t found a car key on him.

Alex checked the room numbers in front of her and followed the number’s up to the second level. She walked along until she found the room right in front of where the blue truck was parked. She frowned and considered checking the truck once she’d done the room.

The key slid into the lock, and Alex pushed the door open. She paused when she saw the magic pulsing around the threshold with a purple glow. It was almost electric. Stepping inside, Alex stiffened and waited for something to happen. The magic warmed, and the glow brightened before it disappeared. A parameter spell, they were a smart spell, and it hadn’t been something she expected from Roman.

Closing the door, she walked into the messy room. The sheets were roughly thrown across the bed; empty containers of takeaway were on every surface, same with Roman’s clothes. The only space that had any sort of order was the desk. On the chair sat a duffle bag with a folder on top. There were different folders spread out on the desk, one open to a page that held a brief description of Raven’s as well as a list of the few other employees that Alex had hired. All of them apart of the supernatural community, and all of them had been categorised according to their affliction. Well, that was what the note attached to the page stated.

Alex flicked through the paper until she found her own information. The picture, stuck to the front of her folder, was from a few years ago. A couple of months after James had died, Elijah had whisked her away to an island in the Caribbean. They had spent fourteen blissful days enjoying the beach, endless scotch and each other. She had been able to put her grief aside and let the stress of everything that had occurred fade. The picture only showed her; what it had cut out was Elijah.

She remembered the moment they had captured perfectly. They stood at a food stall, buying some sort of local snack, and Elijah had leant down to whisper something incredibly naughty in her ear. She remembered laughing and wrapping her arms around his neck. Seconds after the photo, she had kissed him until she was breathless.

It annoyed her that the Council had followed her and spoiled what was supposed to be a Council free memory.

She flipped open the folder and wanted to laugh at what she found inside. Her name, age, height, hair and eye colour, tattoo’s, kill count, power level, family tree, and known associates were all laid out. The kill count is what intrigued her the most. Alex had stopped counting the number of vampires she had burnt after the first year. It had been challenging to keep track. Next to the word vampire sat 283. A few years ago, she would have been impressed and most likely would have bragged. She had been the unstoppable vampire-hunting witch, and now she did what she could to help those who wanted to just live their lives in peace. Beneath vampires, Alex cringed at the word: witches. Most files wouldn’t contain a death count for witches; after all, killing your own kind was a big “no-no” to the Council. The number was higher than Alex ever wanted, but she had managed to come to terms with the fact that it was okay to defend those you loved and yourself. All eight of the witches she had killed were a face she would never forget, but Alex was at a point where she could let that guilt go.

The whole file held the information she had seen from the other witches’ belongings. And their task was always the same, brought back dead or alive. The alive part was merely a formality, Alex was sure because the Council would not want to deal with her if one of their witches managed to bring her in, still kicking.

Closing the folder about her, she shifted through the others and frowned at the file labelled ‘Original Family’. She flipped it open and glared at the photos of the Mikaelson family. The siblings were detailed with pictures and current locations, except Finn, whose photo was missing and location unknown, and Klaus, whose current situation was also unknown. Alex was glad that no one had been able to find him. Keeping him sealed away was for Elena’s safety and everyone else. Only she and Elijah knew precisely where he was, and only Alex could get through the layers of spells she had put in place to get to him.

Seeing the amount of information that Roman had on the family concerned Alex. The Council had always been interested in finding ways to kill the Original family. Still, they had never put much effort into finding out what that would be. Alex knew that Renee and a few other witches had been sent to find things here and there, but no weapon or spell had ever been found. All the details and stories laid out before her could only mean that the Council now wanted to kill them more than ever. A chill ran down Alex’s back at the possibilities; what had the Council found that would push them more than ever to one, kill her, and two, be confident that they could die.

Alex’s phone began to ring, and it startled her. She frowned at her silliness and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Seeing Elijah’s name flashing on the screen made her smile. It hadn’t been that long since he had left, but she missed him.

She answered, “Hey, you.”

Her smile grew larger as his smooth voice hummed.

“It’s good to hear your voice,” he said.

Alex could hear his smile.

She asked, “Please tell me you will be home soon? I desperately need a good Netflix and chill night.”

Elijah chuckled and said, “I couldn’t possibly refuse. When I get home, it’s a date.”

“Does that mean you’re coming home?” she asked hopefully.

Elijah sighed. “Sadly, no. Kol is more elusive than ever.” Irritation laced his voice. “I tracked him down at a bar in New York; a couple of the locals pointed me in the direction of a pretty blonde witch whom apparently he had been spending a large amount of time with.”

Alex smirked and asked, “Pretty blonde witch, huh? Should I be jealous?”

Elijah said, “There is only one blonde witch that I want.”

Alex smiled and bit down on her lip. She loved hearing how serious he would get when she would tease him about another woman. It had been a little sad at first when she would poke at him for looking at another woman, but Elijah didn’t like his honour being questioned. Alex only prodded at him to get a cheeky reaction; she always loved how he would wrap his arms around her and tell her that she was it for him.

Not wanting to cause any more distress on his end, Alex said, “I know. What did the witch have to say?”

Elijah said, “A lot. She was more than happy to help Kol’s brother, up until I requested his location, and she became rather elusive.”

Alex asked, “Elusive because she didn’t know or wouldn’t tell you?”

“I think she made a promise not to tell. I was tempted to threaten her but remembered that I liked my limbs attached and didn’t want to return home to an angry witch.”

“Good boy,” said Alex. While she was open to the possibilities that sometimes violence got more answers that more passive options, innocent witches weren’t to be harmed in any way. If they inserted themselves, then all bets were off, but Kol had a thing for witches, and they usually had no idea what he could drag them into.

“It is rather annoying that witches can’t be compelled,” said Elijah.

Alex shrugged. “Just one of nature’s loopholes. After all, witches are the protectors of nature; it makes sense that in return, it would protect us.”

“So, you and Miss Bennett have reminded me on many occasions.”

Alex giggled. Bonnie did tend to try and puff out her chest and act all tough. I suppose when you have to deal with vampires like Damon Salvatore regularly and also have Kol Mikaelson flirting with you any chance he could, reminding vampires that you were immune to their charm and repulsed by their cockiness was just an automatic reaction.

Alex asked, “Where are you headed next? Is there another lead that you can follow?”

“Perhaps. The blonde witch mentioned something about Kol staying at a hotel not too far away. I was hoping I might be able to find his room. However, the more hotels I check, the more I think he has already left New York,” said Elijah. He sighed and then asked, “Do you think you could track him for me?”

Alex hummed in agreement. “Not at this very second, though; I’m not at home.”

“Where are you?” he questioned.

“I had a visitor show up at Raven’s a few hours ago. He was very forward with his advances, and I had to knock him on his ass,” Alex explained.

“Are you okay?”

Alex nodded and smiled. She did appreciate his protective side, even though it was rarely needed. After all, she could take care of herself.

“I’m fine,” she said. “He didn’t even get a chance; I knocked him out by spelling the beer I served him. All I had to endure was the typical speech that I’m a traitor to my kind and that I should be ashamed. You know, the norm.”

“What did you do with him?” Elijah inquired.

“I called Bekah. She dragged him off to tie him up, and I found a room key, so I’m currently raiding his room. Hence why I can’t do the spell.”

“Find anything?”

“Nothing new about me, same old, same old. I did, however, find a specific folder containing information about you and your family.”

“I would have thought that the Council would always be tracking us. Isn’t that what they do after all?”

Alex closed the folder in front of her and said, “Yeah, but this is more. The Council have always wanted a way to eliminate you and your family, the whole theory that if one Original dies then so does their whole sire line would be an amazing turning point from them.”

“Rather than having to kill hundreds of vampires, they would just need to kill five,” said Elijah.

“Exactly,” said Alex. “However, they never really pushed for answers regarding that. I don’t know if they were too scared to face off against you, or maybe they liked the power they held over everyone. If there is no threat, then the Council would be useless.”

“Well, don’t be too concerned. The only thing that can kill us is a stake made from the white oak tree, and we burnt that a long time ago. Mikael had the last stake, and that burnt up when Niklaus stabbed him with it,” he said.

“I know. It just rubs me the wrong way. I used to know how to think like them, but these last few attacks have seemed more desperate and urgent.”

“A desperate person makes mistakes.”

“They can also be more dangerous.”

Alex didn’t need another impossible to beat the enemy. Klaus had been more than enough for her lifetime. She just wanted to enjoy the simple things, not have the Council try and kill the man she loved and his family.

Alex placed one folder on top of another and said, “I’m going to pack this all up and take it back to the apartment. I want to make sure I don’t miss anything. Once I get home, I’ll do the spell and let you know the location I get. Is his blood still there?”

“Yeah. I left the sample in the mini-fridge in my office,” answered Elijah.

“Great. I love you, be safe.”

“I love you too, and don’t leave the witch alone with Rebekah too long. She gets bored easily,” said Elijah.

She said, “Don’t I know it, bye.”

“Bye.”

Alex disconnected the call and popped her phone back in the pocket. She grabbed the duffle bag and packed the folders inside. She checked the rest of the room and made sure she collected everything from the room. A quick spell washed away all traces of her and Roman before she left the door open and the key in the door.

She passed the blue truck and decided that a quick look wouldn’t hurt. Alex put the bag into her car before popping the lock on the truck with a flick of her finger. Inside, the car was as dirty as the room had been. Food containers, wrappers, empty drink containers. She also found another folder, except this one was labelled ‘Esther’. Alex frowned.

Elijah had told her the story of his family. His mother, Esther, the Original Witch, had been responsible for turning them into vampires. She had been killed by their father, and they had all fled, only to be chased by Mikael for a thousand years. There was still pain that he had never dealt with regarding the loss of his parents and human life, but Alex had never pushed him. He never spoke in detail about his mother, but she was dead. Elijah had seen her body.

So why did the Council have a file all about Esther?

Alex grabbed the file, cleaned the car of any trace of her before getting into her own car and heading to Rebekah. She needed a chance to look over everything she had found, and Alex would make Roman talk if he wanted too or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?
> 
> Comments feed my creativity demon! Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

The door was unlocked, and the sound of stereo echoed through the apartment as Alex strolled in. She placed the duffle bag full of files by the couch and stopped off in the kitchen to grab some water. Following the sound of the music, she walked down the hall, up the stairs to the lofted office space that was mainly used for storage. Taking a sip of her water, she couldn’t help but smirk at the annoyed look on Rebekah’s face.

Alex said, “You both look well acquainted.”

Rebekah was sitting on the railing that looked down over the dining room, swinging her legs as she used a nail file. She glanced up and glared. “And you took your time,” Rebekah said.

“My apologies, I made a quick stop at our friend’s hotel room. I found all sorts of interesting information.”

“You still owe me.”

“I know.”

Alex looked at Roman, who was hanging from the ceiling by two chains. His shirt was torn open, and fresh cuts on his chest showed that Rebekah had done more than just standing around for the past hour.

“Has he said anything?” Alex asked.

“Other than cursing the ground I walk on, threatening to burn me to ash, and promising that the Council would kill us all, not a whole damn lot.”

“Didn’t think it would be easy.”

Rebekah huffed. “Why not try your little mind trick?”

Alex winced and said, “It’s a spell, not a mind trick. And it doesn’t always work on witches; our minds are a little more complex than humans or other supernatural.”

“Torture it is!”

Alex held out her hand. “Just hold your horses. Why don’t you take a break, and I’m going to have a chat with him?”

Rebekah rolled her eyes and walked away.

Alex looked at Roman and frowned. This was the part she liked least about all of this. Rebekah and Kol enjoyed the torture; it’s a way that they both liked to relieve stress; but for Alex, it was unpleasant. If she had any other options, then she would use those first. Walking over to a dresser that sat along the wall, Alex placed down her phone and opened the first draw. She pulled out five large candles and collected a few other ingredients.

Roman was out cold, no doubt passed out from the pain Rebekah had been inflicting on him. She was glad that Rebekah had laid down a sheet before breaking the skin. Alex placed the five candles evenly spaced around Roman and sprinkled the different herbs. The space around Roman was already spelled to block any form of magic, and if Alex stepped inside, her own would be blocked. But without knowing Roman’s abilities, she added another few layers of protection and then lit the candles.

Grabbing the bottle of water she had collected when she had gotten home, she unscrewed the lid and splashed Roman. He sputtered and shook his head, eyes blinking, the shock of being forced awake covering his face. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts before his shock faded and was replaced by a look of disgust and hatred.

“Comfortable?” Alex asked.

Roman just glared.

“If this is how you responded to Rebekah, no wonder she carved into you like a pumpkin. She does hate to be ignored.”

Still nothing. The only sort of change was a heavy breath and a flare of his nostrils.

Alex sighed. “You can hate me all you want; it doesn’t bother me. But if you want someone to blame, then blame the Council. They sent you here, they have used and abused the witches under their thumbs for generations, and I am not going to let their bias beliefs control me.”

Roman spat at her. “The Council have honoured their pledge to rid the world of the vampire menace and will continue to do so until every single one is nothing more than a pile of ash.”

She said, “Wow. Is that what I used to sound like?” She laughed. “No wonder vampires hated me.” Alex walked around Roman’s hanging body and stopped when she faced him again. “In doing your part of ridding the world of the vampire menace, as you put it, have you ever considered those who get caught in the crossfire. Humans and witches, many will continue to die needlessly for the Council’s vendetta.”

He looked away and said, “Sacrifices must be made for the greater good.”

“You sound crazy,” said Alex.

Even when she had believed in the Council, an innocent life was never worth the risk to kill a vampire; there was always another way.

“I’m not here to argue about our morals. I would like to know why in the last five years, I have only seen a handful of witches bold enough to come after me and then in these last few months, the number seems to have double. Any idea why?”

He shook his head.

Alex scoffed. “Really? Because I found an awful amount of information about myself and the Originals in your hotel room.”

The flash of worry appeared for only a mere second, but Alex caught it.

“Has the Council found a way to kill the Originals? Or did you have a crush on me?”

Roman glared and pulled at the chains.

Alex frowned. “What do they know? What are they planning?”

“I’m not telling you anything,” he yelled.

“Fine, I tried being nice.” Alex walked around behind Roman and broke the circle blocking his magic. Before he could react, she grasped his head and started to chant. “ _In mentem, in mentem, in mentem._ ”

Entering someone else’s mind was a rush. Memories would flash past, and if you lacked the strength, you could lose yourself. Alex had only done the spell in a relaxed environment. The first time with Sarah, both testing it on each other. They experienced memories together that they had felt comfortable sharing. The second time, with Elijah, he showed her more emotions than actual memories; an overwhelming sense of love surrounded her.

Pushing into Roman’s mind, she could feel the resistance. Mental barriers were pushing against her in an attempt to knock her back. She didn’t let it stop her. Alex broke through the main shield and found herself moving through memories, all from the last few weeks. She saw herself, Elijah, Rebekah, and those from Raven’s. He had followed and watched for days before he had walked into the bar. Moving past them, she tried to focus on the Council.

Roman pushed against her, and she stumbled, unable to get past the barriers blocking the deeper parts of his mind. Alex dug in her hands and took a breath. She forced herself through a block and gasped as the air felt suffocating on the other side. Roman was a powerful witch and wouldn’t just give up.

Alex reached for the memories that surround the Council, but she couldn’t breakthrough. A sharp pain shot through her skull and threw her from Roman’s mind. Her body was thrown across the room and into the wall. She hit the wall and slid to the ground; with a groan, she laid there for a second, her brain fuzzy from the forced exit.

Shaking her head, she looked up and watched as Roman broke his restraints and stood. He stumbled but managed to keep himself upright before turning to glare at her.

He smirked and said, “Not so powerful after all.”

She felt as his magic wrapped around her, and she was dragged across the floor and thrown through the wooden bannister and down onto the table below. The table broke from the impact and sent wood flying across the floor.

“What the bloody hell?” Rebekah appeared beside her. “Are you okay?”

Alex groaned and pushed herself to sit up. “I think so.”

Rebekah looked up and glared at Roman, who was looking down at them.

He said, “And you, you’re going to pay for cutting me up.”

He swung his arm and threw Rebekah back in the wall. She recovered quickly and charged at him but was stopped. She dropped to her knees and cried out, holding her head.

Alex pushed herself to stand and broke Roman’s concentration. Rebekah slumped and whimpered. Alex swung her arm, using her magic to pull Roman down to their level.

“Don’t make me kill you,” she said.

Roman threw a table leg at her. “Let me kill you,” he said.

Alex sidestepped the leg and cringed as she twisted her wrist. The loud crack that followed, as Roman’s head turned further than it ever should, sent chills down Alex’s spine. She closed her eyes and felt the guilt wash over her, another witch’s life she had taken. His body hit the ground with a thud and Alex felt sick.

Leaning forward, she placed her hands onto her knees and let out a breath; she glanced over to Rebekah and asked, “You okay?”

Rebekah nodded. “Bloody witches and their spells.” She pushed herself to stand up. “Did you at least get anything out of him, or was the damage all for nothing.”

Alex sighed. “No details, but the Council is up to something, and I will find out what.”

“I need a drink,” said Rebekah.

Alex nodded. “Make mine a double.”

*

*

*

Alex had watched as Rebekah picked up Roman’s dead body and slung him over her shoulder. She huffed and said that there would be a long day of shopping that Alex would suffer through to make up for the constant task of dragging bodies around, and even though the idea of spending a whole day having Rebekah take her from designer store to designer store sounded dreadful, she did owe the Original a thank you.

A few waves of her hand cleaned up the mess of broken furniture and broken walls; her apartment had suffered one too many fights between witches for her bank account to be able to afford new things. Elijah was always willing to pay, but Alex wasn’t going to let herself become a kept woman. Their agreement was simple, you break it, you replace it, or in Alex’s case, magically glue it back together like nothing happened. After having to replace the coffee table that her feet were resting on, she taught herself how to fix broken objects; it was an honest waste of magic, something children would do to cover their tracks from their parents, but she was thankful for the money-saving trick.

Sipping her glass of scotch that Rebekah had poured for her, she tasted the few drops of blood that Rebekah had popped into the glass. Her ribs were no doubt badly bruised, if not broken, and while she could fix it with magic, she was feeling exhausted after her attempt into Roman’s mind. The idea of drinking vampire blood was still off-putting. Alex had taken significant steps in her life to accept vampires; after all, she was in a happy relationship with one, her best friend was one, and she had even accepted the rest of his siblings, all but one. Klaus could become a saint and sacrifice himself for everyone, but it would never be enough for her to forgive him. Alex had only come to terms with occasionally taking blood to heal her wounds when she was weakened.

The first time after her first encounter with a Council witch, she had been wounded. The witch had come from nowhere and had literally stabbed her in the back, in the middle of the street with witnesses. The wound would have taken a long time to kill her, but it was clear that the witches’ goal had been to weaken her. Alex had protected herself using her own weight to push the witch away, but she had stumbled back into oncoming traffic and was hit by a car. It had all happened so quickly that Alex hadn’t been able to understand what had happened until after she had been loaded up into an ambulance. She had been fixed up and discharged, against doctors’ orders, taken home and convinced by Elijah to just have a few drops.

Alex had never seen such fear in his eyes. Elijah didn’t tend to show his emotions; he wasn’t rash and didn’t act on instinct. He always absorbed the information before him before figuring out his next step. Getting him to open up and share things with her had been one of their many hurdles; he had always kept everything in because everyone else in his family was already reacting rashly. There had been very few moments where he responded with such emotion that it had shaken her; the fear had let her accept that a few drops of vampire blood would give him peace of mind.

The ringing of her phone pulled her from her thoughts. She smiled as she noticed Elijah’s name. “Two calls in less than a few hours; I’m feeling very loved right now.”

Elijah’s chuckled echoed softly through the line, and he said, “Once I’m done here, I will call you every hour if you like.”

Alex laughed and said, “Yeah, no. That is heading into overbearing territory.”

“I thought so. Any luck tracking Kol?” he asked.

Alex almost dropped her phone. “Oh crap, I got side-tracked.” Roman had made her forget all about the missing Original. She jumped up and put her drink on the table.

Elijah asked, “Did your interrogation go well?”

Alex huffed. “No, in fact, I got nothing of use.” She walked over to the side table and pulled open the draw; she pulled out a map and threw it onto the coffee table. “The result was a few bruised ribs for me and a broken neck for him.” She headed down the hall to Elijah’s office and grabbed a small vial of blood, labelled Kol, out of the mini-fridge.

“What happened?”

The edge in his voice made Alex pause.

Closing her eyes and biting down on her lip, she felt ashamed. Elijah had been working on his ability to open up about his feelings, but Alex had been working on controlling her emotional responses. Elijah had referred to her being remarkably like Klaus with how she reacted to certain things; the comparison had been a big push to get her to try and learn some control. Slipping as she had done and letting her emotions take over left her feeling like she had failed.

“He pissed me off, and I tried to force my way into his mind.”

Elijah sighed. “I thought you told me that attempting that on a witch would be a dreadful waste of time and energy.”

Alex said, “Yeah, I know.” She walked back to the lounge area and placed the blood onto the table before dropping onto the couch. “I learnt my lesson after he knocked me out of his head and over the balustrade and onto the dining table.”

He asked, “Are you sure your ribs are only bruised?”

She touched her stomach and took a breath. The pain from before was gone; thanks to the blood, she was all healed up. “All healed. Rebekah snuck a few drops of blood in my drink. She thinks she was being sneaky.”

Elijah was quiet for a moment. She could imagine him as his brow would furrow as he would try to think of what next to say. He said, “I may have asked her to make sure you stay in one piece.”

Alex sat forward and tried to lighten their talk; she teased, “You’re using my best friend against me, how rude!”

“No, I’m using my sister against you. Simple strategy, really,” he teased back.

“Mmmhmmm.” Alex smiled and opened the map on the table.

Elijah tone shifted deeper, and she could just feel his mood change. He said, “I know you don’t like the whole blood thing, but I don’t want to lose you.”

It was a conversation that had been ongoing since their relationship had started.

“And I don’t want to lose you, but we have gone over this. If I’m bleeding out on the floor, pour it down my throat, but I can survive a few cracked ribs.”

Elijah always wanted her safe, scared that she wouldn’t be able to fight back one day, and he would lose her. But she knew that becoming a vampire wasn’t an option for her; being cut off from her magic would destroy her, and she didn’t know if she would survive that.

“What are you going to do when I’m old and dying of old age? Vampire blood won’t do me much good then?” she asked.

The line was quiet. He hated it when she brought up any mention of her ageing. He wanted her to stay the same, just like he did, but it wasn’t something you could just do.

“Elijah, don’t be mad at me,” she said.

“I’m not mad,” he said, his voice cracking. Elijah cleared his throat and then asked, “Can we talk about this when I’m home?”

Alex nodded and said, “Sure, let me track Kol.”

She wasn’t going to push this, not when they were so far apart. It was a discussion for another day.

She put down her phone and turned on the speakerphone. Grabbing the vile of blood, she dropped a few drops onto the page and corked the rest. Holding up her hands, she began to chant and watched as the drops merged and slid down the map to Virginia. They stopped directly on top of Mystic Falls.

Dropping her hands, she said, “It says Mystic Falls.”

“Why would he go back? He hates it there,” said Elijah.

The front door swung open, and Rebekah strutted in. “I need another drink; want a refill?”

Alex nodded. “Without the blood this time.”

Rebekah paused and cringed.

“Don’t worry, sister,” said Elijah, “I have told her to blame me.”

Rebekah walked over and sat down beside her. “We are both to blame, and I’m happy to have you mad at me as long as your still alive to do so.”

Alex reached over and grabbed her hand. She smiled, “And as I told Elijah, if I’m dying, go for it, cracked ribs, I’ll survive.”

Rebekah nodded. “Okay, promise. Not more sneaky additions to your morning coffee or alcoholic beverages.”

Alex frowned. “My coffee?”

Rebekah gave her a cheeky grin before running out of the room.

“My coffee, huh?” she directed to Elijah.

“That was all her; I didn’t encourage that,” he said.

Alex just shook her head and laughed.

“Can you ask Rebekah why Kol might go back to Mystic Falls and let me know? I’m going to head there now and see what I can find,” he said.

“Sure, I’ll tell her to call you. Be safe, I love you,” said Alex.

He said, “I love you too.”

Alex ended the call and slouched back into the couch. Rebekah reappeared and handed her a glass of scotch.

She smiled and said, “I raided Elijah’s stash; he always keeps the good stuff locked up.”

Alex smirked and took a sip. “He told me to ask you if you knew any reason why Kol would go back to Mystic Falls.”

She shook her head. “Kol hated it there. He did nothing but complain about how bored he was while we were there.”

Alex frowned. “Well, something got him to go back. Dropped everything in New York and headed on back.” She took a sip of her fresh drink and looked at the map.

Rebekah placed her cup down on the table. “Maybe he followed a girl. He may be a lady’s man, but he loves the chase more than anything. If a girl told him no, he would chase them down.”

Alex scrunched up her nose. “That is borderline stalker.”

Rebekah shrugged. “You’ve met him, right?”

Alex rolled her eyes at her sarcasm.

Whatever the reason that dragged him back, Alex hoped that it was nothing more than a silly girl and that Elijah would be home in a few days. She also needed a few days to go over what she found at Roman’s hotel. The folders were still sitting in the duffle bag, waiting for her to dive in, but as she nursed her drink, she couldn’t help but feel exhausted, and it was only five o’clock.

*

*

*

The beat of her music matched her pace as her feet hit the pavement. Elena Gilbert was closing in on the entrances to her dorm, and she was ready for a nice hot shower and a big breakfast before class. There were few students about, as it was still early, but the morning sun rarely woke the students who didn’t have early classes. It took her three years to understand that morning classes were for crazy people, and all-nighters were common when studying for a degree in medicine. It didn’t help that her two roommates loved to party late. That didn’t stop her from picking the morning classes, though.

While dedicated to her studies, Caroline didn’t require as much sleep as Elena. She was always ready to head out to a party or have a girl’s night, and they always included alcohol. While not as keen to party, Bonnie spent a lot of her free time working on her magic and tended to cause constant distraction when she succeeded in doing new spells.

Elena wouldn’t have it any other way, though. She loved them both, and having spent fours years at Whitmore together had just been the best situation. They had even thought about moving into an apartment during their final year. The living expenses was the only concern. Caroline had compelled the housing people and made sure they had a large room with plenty of space for all three of them.

She climbed the steps and stopped at the top to take a moment to catch her breath. Running had been something she always enjoyed doing. First, it was to keep fit when she had been a cheerleader, and second, it was something that she and Alex had always enjoyed. Elena missed racing Alex down the streets. Really, she just missed her sister. The last chance that she had seen Alex was at Christmas; Elijah and Alex had driven down and spent the whole break with them. But she wished she were able to see her more.

Elena stretched her arm and jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. She pulled her headphone out and frowned at Caroline.

“Don’t do that,” she said.

Caroline chuckled. “Sorry, just wanted to let you know that I’m headed to stock up my supply. Bonnie has requested snacks; anything you want?”

Elena thought for a moment, then said, “Can you get me some orange juice, please.”

Caroline nodded. “You got it. Also, you had a missed call on your phone from Stefan.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Caroline headed towards the car park, and Elena turned to head inside. She waved at a few of the other students she had met over the past few years, familiar faces and some she would refer to as friends, but none that were as close as she was with Bonnie and Caroline.

Elena reached their room and unlocked the door. In the middle of the floor sat Bonnie, candles around her and a floating book in front of her. She smiled at Elena.

Elena asked, “What is today’s spell?”

Bonnie said, “Multitasking. Alex has been badgering me that I need to learn to be able to do two things at once with my magic.” The book fell to the ground, and Bonnie huffed.

“Not going well?” Elena asked.

Bonnie nodded and stood up. “I can do small things, float a book and light a candle. But when I try to do bigger things like a tracking spell, it just falls apart.”

“What has Alex said?” she asked.

Bonnie shrugged. “What she always says, practice.”

Elena had struggled at first when the relationship between Bonnie and Alex blossomed. Bonnie had needed a proper teacher, and after she lost her Grams, Bonnie had been left on her own. Elena had been thrilled that Alex could teach her but watching the two of them bond over something that she would never completely understand or do left her feeling jealous. It had taken a tub of ice cream and a long chat with Stefan to understand that she wasn’t jealous of the magic they shared; she was jealous of their bond. Learning that Alex had been adopted and wasn’t her sister by blood allowed fear to develop that Alex could simply replace her with someone else. Stefan had encouraged her to talk to Alex about it, but she never had. After all, Elena didn’t want to bother her sister with something so silly.

“Have you spoken to her?” Elena asked.

“Yeah,” said Bonnie. “Yesterday. She was trying to reach Sarah. Apparently, she wouldn’t answer her phone. She also told me to tell you that she misses you.”

Elena smiled. “I miss her too. Why does she have to live in Atlanta?”

“Tell me about it.” Bonnie sat back down in her circle. “Okay, focus time.”

Elena left her too it.

Once in her room, she stripped and jumped into the shower. She had plenty of time before her class to eat and get in a few extra minutes of study. Even after knowing that only crazy people took morning classes, she had to admit that they suited her.

She sat on her bed and picked up a cup of coffee that had appeared while she was in the shower, no doubt, thanks to Bonnie, and she checked her phone. Stefan had called her and then sent her a message that Matt had been trying to reach her. She noticed that she had two missed calls from him.

It was strange. Matt hadn’t left Mystic Falls like most of them. He had stayed and ended up working with Caroline’s mum as a cop. He fit right in and seemed to always suit the small-town lifestyle; he wasn’t one to head off to the big city.

Elena rang him back and was glad to hear his voice.

“Elena, thanks for ringing me back,” he said.

Elena smiled. “No problem, its good to hear from you.”

“You too. I miss you girls,” said Matt.

Elena said, “You had the chance to join us.”

She could hear him shrug. He said, “College wasn’t for me; besides, Mystic Falls needs this handsome mug keeping them safe from the few crazy vamps.”

Elena smiled and nodded. “That they do.” Even without having to be concerned about original vampires coming after her, Mystic Falls seemed to attract all sorts of strays. She asked, “So, what’s going on?”

Matt sighed and said, “Well, speaking of crazy vamps, Kol Mikaelson, Elijah’s brother, showed up two nights ago. He was acting all strange.”

“Did he hurt someone?” asked Elena.

“I don’t think so. No one has gone missing, and there haven’t been any bodies, but he was all over the place. Can vampires have mental breaks?”

“I have no idea. Did you ring Alex or Elijah?”

“No, I didn’t want to freak them out if it was nothing, and also, I don’t have a contact number for them.”

Elena’s hand clenched around her coffee cup. Kol was known to be a little strange; he was unpredictable. Alex had said he could be just like Klaus, minus the paranoia. But what was he doing back in Mystic Falls? She remembered seeing him argue with Elijah that the place was a dump and that he’d rather be back in a coffin that stay there.

“I wonder why he went back?” she said.

“What do you mean?” asked Matt.

“He hated Mystic Falls. I heard him complain about it enough.” Elena took a sip of her coffee. “Did Caroline’s mum see him?”

“No.”

Elena sighed with relief.

“I thought best to leave the whole Original family thing out of it. She is still adjusting to Caroline being a vampire.”

“Yeah, good idea,” she said.

The reveal of Caroline’s vampirism had come after a nasty encounter with Caroline’s father. Somehow, her new lifestyle had gotten back to him. They had never been able to find out who, but after he kidnapped and tortured her, Liz Forbes had stormed the cell he had her locked in and saved her. It had been overwhelming for them both, but Liz promised Caroline to keep her safe. It had been the best outcome Caroline could have hoped for.

“Look, I’ll give Alex a call and let her know about Kol. If something does happen, just in case, I’ll send you her number,” said Elena.

She didn’t know Kol well enough to know if it was a normal situation. Alex would probably have a better understanding of what the Original vampire was up to, or at least she could ask Elijah.

“Thanks, Elena. I’ll let you know if I see him again,” said Matt.

Elena smiled. “Thanks, also be careful. If something has happened to him, he could be dangerous.”

Matt laughed. “Aren’t they always. Bye, Elena.”

“Bye, Matt.”

Elena had been grateful that after Alex had locked up Klaus, the past few years had been normal. Well, as normal as they could be when your life revolved around witches, werewolves and vampires. The whole Kol situation was probably nothing, but Elena couldn’t help the doubt stirring in her chest.

Elena scrolled through her phone until she found Alex’s number. She clicked dial and frowned when the call rang through; normally, Alex always answered. She left her a message and asked her to call back and then decided to text her as well. Hopefully, she would call back before class started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?
> 
> Comments feed my creativity demon! Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun that was shining through the windows was not Alex’s friend. She had desperately yanked the covers up and over her head to block out the beaming light when she had finally woken up. She had no idea what time it was or what time she had managed to crawl into bed the night before, but the pounding drum that was playing in her head meant Alex had no intention of climbing out from her comfortable cocoon anytime soon.

Rebekah and Alex had both indulged themselves in drinking a large quantity of Elijah’s scotch before Rebekah had wished her a good night while heading off to indulge in something better—blood. Alex knew that at some point, she had turned off the TV and stumbled down the hall to pee before tripping into the bed. Sleep had overtaken her before she could change or climb under the covers, but in her sleep, she had wrapped herself up in the quilt, allowing her now to hide from the sun.

There was one thing that mattered, though. Raven’s needed to be opened and managed, but Alex knew she probably wouldn’t be able to do that. The hangover she was experiencing wasn’t the worst she had ever had; after all, she was friends with vampires who could consume enough alcohol that would kill a human and still function normally. However, it would probably hang around for a while, and she would need someone else to take care of the bar.

With a wave of her arm, the curtains in her bedroom all drew themselves closed, hugging the room in darkness. Alex was grateful for blackout curtains. She pulled herself over to the edge of the bed and frowned when she didn’t see her phone. She had probably left it in the living room.

Throwing her blankets off, Alex sat up and waited for the room to stop spinning before she stood. Using the walls for leverage, she stepped out into the hallway and used her magic to close every single blind in the apartment before she went too far. The idea of having to clean up her own vomit because she walked into a brightly lit room wasn’t appealing.

As Alex thought, her phone was sitting on the coffee table in the living room. She picked it up and huffed when she realised it was dead. She slid along the couch and grabbed the charging cord that they kept plugged in beside the couch and rested her phone on the end table to charge.

It would take a minute to come back to life, so Alex looked at the mess around her. When they were drunk, Rebekah and Alex tended to have a bit of a junk food binge. Chocolate, popcorn and nuts were all over the rug and across the coffee table. She wanted to wave her hand and make the mess disappear, but she decided to just do it herself.

One thing that she found with her magic was that she could sometimes become lazy. Magic allowed Alex to snap her fingers or turn them, and things would just happen for her. It was great and useful most of the time, but she found that sometimes it was better to just do things the manual way or the ‘human way’. Alex collected all the rubbish, pushed all the crumbs and leftovers into a bowl and then carried it into the kitchen. She threw out the rubbish, rinsed the dishes and grabbed herself a couple of pain relief tablets. As Alex swallowed the tablets, her phone buzzed back in the living room. She grabbed a damp cloth to wipe down the table with and did that before sitting down and checking her phone.

Alex had two missed calls, one from Elena and one from Elijah. There were also three text messages, two from Elijah. The first read: _Sleep well, I love you._ And the second: _Good morning, did you have a chance to talk to Rebekah about Kol? Love you._ Alex sighed when she saw the second one; Rebekah was supposed to have called him. The other message was from Elena that read: _Need to talk to you about Kol Mikaelson. Call me pls._

It rubbed Alex the wrong way that Elena suddenly wanted to talk to her about Kol the day after learning that Kol had headed to Mystic Falls. Something wasn’t quite right.

Getting more comfortable on the couch, Alex sent a message off to her Assistant Manager for Raven’s asking her to open the bar and then dialled Elena’s number.

Elena answered, “Hey, Alex.”

“Hey you, how are you?” asked Alex.

“I’m good, you?”

“I have a hangover.”

Elena snorted a laugh. “Did Rebekah get you drunk again?”

“Technically, yes, but we were in my apartment this time drinking Elijah’s scotch.”

“What does Elijah think of you drinking all his scotch?”

“He isn’t here, so he doesn’t know.”

“Where is he?”

“Looking for Kol, which is why your message from earlier worried me.”

Elena said, “I don’t know exactly what’s going on with him, but Matt called me because he saw him in Mystic Falls.”

“When was this?”

“Yesterday. Matt said he was acting strange,” said Elena.

Alex frowned.

“Why is Elijah looking for him?” asked Elena.

“Kol’s been M.I.A for a few months, Elijah just wanted to check in on him and make sure he hasn’t gone completely crazy, but now Elijah can’t find him.”

“So it’s possible that Kol showing up in Mystic Falls isn’t just nothing like I was hoping.”

Alex wanted to shrug it off and tell her sister it was nothing. But it didn’t sit right with her that Kol had gone back to Mystic Falls.

“I don’t know at this point, but Elijah was getting a flight there today. Hopefully, he will find the brat and end all the confusion.”

Elena chuckled. “Did you really call Kol a brat?”

“I did. It’s probably the nicest name for him in my vocabulary,” said Alex.

“Do you know why Kol would go back home?” asked Elena. “I remember him complaining about it more than anything.”

“He did. It makes me think that someone may have lured him back. But the who and the why eludes me.” Alex tucked her feet beneath her and sighed. “Did Matt say anything in particular about how he was acting?”

“Not really.”

“Alright. Can you send my Matt’s number?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, of course. I already sent Matt yours just in case he has another run-in,” said Elena.

“Great, thank you.”

“No problem.”

The two sisters fell into momentary silence.

Elena broke it and said, “Besides the Kol drama, how have things been?”

Alex couldn’t stop her huff. She didn’t like to share the drama that happened with Elena; she didn’t want to worry her sister. What she wanted was for Elena to enjoy her _human_ life as normally as possible.

“You know,” said Alex, “same old, same old.”

“There haven’t been any more witch attacks?”

Alex didn’t like to share, but she wasn’t going to straight out lie to her sister.

“There was one.”

“When?” Elena’s tone deepened.

Alex could only imagine that Elena was thinking the worst.

“Yesterday. He showed up at Raven’s. I knocked him out before he could do anything, and he has been taken care of now. There is no need to worry about me,” Alex rushed out.

“You weren’t hurt?” asked Elena.

“Nothing a few drops of vamp blood couldn’t heal.”

“You needed blood? How bad were you hurt?”

Alex sunk into the couch.

“Alex!”

“I don’t really know; it was probably only a few broken ribs. I am fine.” Alex rubbed her hand over her face, trying to ignore the thumping of her headache. “If something bad had really happened, I would have called you. But it was fine.”

Elena fell silent, and Alex could hear her moving about. A door clicked on her end, followed by a huff.

Elena said, “I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just that you are so far away, and I hate not knowing what is going on.”

“I know. But I promise I am fine. I have two powerful Original vampires around me all the time, along with my own magic. If anyone has a right to be concerned, it’s me. My human sister is dating a vampire, best friend with a vampire and is the Petrova Doppelganger.”

“That may all be true, but I also don’t have a coven of witches with god complexes hunting me down.”

Alex couldn’t argue with that. “They aren’t doing a very good job of it.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“Sometimes I wonder who the older sister is,” said Alex.

Elena let out a soft chuckle. “I better go; I do have a class I need to get to.”

“Alright, off you go. Be the good college student.”

“Don’t I always. Love you, sis.”

“Love you too.”

Alex disconnected the call and sighed. It made it difficult being so far away from her family, but Atlanta was a place she had been able to start fresh. There was no major Council presence in Atlanta for one, and there were no bad memories there. It just sucked that it was an eight-hour drive to go back and see Elena and the rest of her family. However, the distance also meant they couldn’t easily be dragged into any mess that occurred in Atlanta.

But something just wasn’t sitting right with Kol’s situation. It wasn’t the first time he had fallen off the radar; more than once, Elijah has gone to check on him, but the longest it had ever taken was two weeks. The story was always something petty or ridiculous. But this time, it just felt different. Kol had up and vanished when it seemed that a particular witch had been keeping his interest in New York, and his choice of location was odd.

Alex wondered if maybe the Council was involved. Their most recent attempt lined up perfectly with Kol’s disappearance. Was it possible that they lured Kol away so that Elijah would go after him, leaving Alex down one protector and more exposed? Or maybe there was something else that they wanted from Kol.

She glanced over to the duffle bag she had placed beside the couch when she returned to the apartment yesterday. It was full of possible answers. It could explain everything. It could also be a waste of time; from what she had read yesterday, the profiles covered everything she already knew.

Alex laughed at herself; she felt paranoid thinking about all of the possibilities. There was plenty of time to wonder, but first, she needed a shower, then she needed to call Matt. Maybe once she had washed away the grime of the day before, things would make more sense. Alex also needed to call Elijah back and check up on him.

Climbing into the shower, the hot water relaxed Alex’s muscles and the headache that had seemed prominent for most of the morning finally started to fade. She took her time, scrubbing her body and washing her hair, even taking a moment to shave her legs. Once she felt clean and more human, she dressed and tied her damp hair into a loose braid.

She made her way back out into the kitchen and checked the time. It was almost noon, and she was hungry. Alex grabbed the Lucky Charms and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She inhaled a few mouthfuls before placing the bowl on the dining table and collecting the back from the living room.

Alex pulled out all of the folders and documents. There was enough paper before her that she could see herself spending the whole day reading over the files, but she really hoped that wouldn’t happen.

Her phone buzzed from the living room. Alex took another bite of her cereal before going to check it. She let out a small sigh of relief to see her Assistant Manager, Jamie, had responded and confirmed she could open the bar. Alex sent back a quick thank you.

The phone started to ring in her hand, and Alex smiled when she saw Elijah’s name.

“I was going to call you back, I swear,” she answered.

Elijah chuckled softly. “I have no doubt.”

“How goes to search?”

“Nowhere. I arrived in Mystic Falls this morning, and there isn’t a trace of Kol. I checked Klaus’ mansion to see if he had perhaps decided to take up residence there, but there was nothing, not even his scent. And I also looked in any other place I could imagine that he might go, but nothing.”

Alex frowned. That wasn’t good.

“Could you try tracking him again? See if you can get any closer?” asked Elijah.

Alex unplugged her phone and grabbed the map she had used the day before. She walked into the kitchen and said, “I can, but it will be the last of Kol’s blood.”

“Hopefully, it will be all we will need. I am rather done with chasing after my brother.”

Alex bite her tongue. She had been tempted to make a comment about him not knowing how to do anything else but chase after his family, but now wasn’t the time for snide comments. It probably wouldn’t offend Elijah; he normally rolled his eyes at her and forced her to apologise by tickling her until she couldn’t breathe.

She collected the last bit of Kol’s blood from Elijah’s study and laid the map out on the opposite end of the dining table, away from all of the other files. She didn’t need to get blood all over them. Putting her phone on speaker and placing it down beside her, Alex poured out the blood and started to chant. Opening her eyes after a moment, Alex frowned at the map and stopped her chant.

“What’s wrong?” asked Elijah.

Alex tried again, chanting the locator spell, but Kol’s blood didn’t budge.

“Alex?”

“Something is blocking me,” she said. “Kol is either being hidden by a cloaking spell, or he’s…” Alex didn’t finish her sentence. There was no way Kol could be dead. Someone had to be hiding him.

“Who would be cloaking him?”

“He could have several witches that he has bewitched.”

“But for what reason?”

Alex sighed. She looked up at the piles of paper she had sitting opposite her. “Maybe it’s the Council.”

Elijah asked, “Why would they take Kol?”

“I don’t know. I just have this feeling that somehow Kol’s disappearance and yesterdays attack are connected.” Alex ran her fingers through her hair. “I sound so bloody paranoid.”

“No, sounds like your being logical to me.”

“Am I?”

Alex wasn’t really sure what to think. There could be a number of reasons for Kol’s actions. They hadn’t seen him in months; he could have involved himself in anything.

“I have a mountain of information that the witch from yesterday left behind; I’m going to go through it and see if I can find anything,” she said.

Elijah sighed. “Alright. I’m going to reach out to a few contacts and see if they can learn anything…oh, Rebekah did call me.”

“She did? Good.”

“If I listened to her, I would be on a plane home today.”

Alex smiled. “Sounds like great advice to me.”

He laughed. “I would love nothing more than to be back with you, but I need to find and throttle my brother first.”

“I understand; just be safe.”

“I promise. I love you, Alexandra.”

Alex rolled her eyes at her full name. Elijah seemed to be the only one who could get away with calling her that.

“I love you too.”

The idea that something else was going on couldn’t be ignored. Alex still didn’t know if the Council was involved, but she knew that they would need to find Kol sooner or later, preferably sooner. She would like for Elijah to return home sometime soon. But first, she needed some answers.

Not forgetting that she needed to call Matt, Alex sat back down at the table, ate her cereal and started to devour the information before her. She started with her own file. Skipping over the details she had already seen the day before, Alex read through the other case notes. A lot of it was general information about her magical abilities and fighting style. There were also plenty of details written down that were scanned reports signed by Renee; it seemed Renee had updated the Council often on her progress over the years. There were also details from when she had been in school; pages about her family, Gilbert’s and Ravenwood’s. Alex was surprised to see what looked like sections of very detailed records of the Ravenwood’s lineage, about four pages worth, but it was incomplete.

When Alex had been a part of the Council, working for them and with Renee, they had never been open about her heritage. The Ravenwood family records had been sealed and were unavailable to everyone, including her. Alex had never liked that the information was kept from her, but she had trusted Renee when she had claimed that it was better for everyone if she left the past alone. Now she knew it was more to do with the details about how the Ravenwoods turned against the Council for being corrupt.

There was still lots she didn’t know; Elijah had been kind enough to share what he knew about her family from his time with her grandmother, Nadia, but the rest of it was still being locked away by the Council.

She knew not to dwell on it, though. Alex knew that if she could one day connect with her ancestors, then she would be able to learn from them directly, but she didn’t have time to practice that at the moment. Alex closed her folder and decided to move on; there wasn’t anything useful to find in her own folder.

The next lot were individual files on the Mikaelson family. Each member had their own file; all of them were different thicknesses. Alex wasn’t surprised to see that Klaus’ was the fattest of them all. It was the one she chose to start with to get it out of the way. There were pages of detailed accounts of Klaus’ deeds over the centuries; plenty of bloodshed and death, ramblings of monster and demons. There were copies of pictures and paintings, notes had been made on different pages many times, and some were so worn that it was difficult to read. It seemed that Klaus file had been constantly added too up until five years ago. The last records date his success of breaking the ‘Sun and Moon Curse’, but he had been silent since. Which made sense; Alex had him desiccated and sealed in a coffin.

The flicking through each Mikaelson’s folder continued for some time. Elijah’s was fairly similar to Klaus’; they had spent their long lives together after all. Kol’s and Rebekah’s were much thinner, only having chucks of history from when they were awake and not sleeping. And Finn’s was the thinnest of them all; no picture, no real details besides that he was an Original, had turned one vampire, Sage, and that he was the eldest sibling. There were no details about anything from the past five years, which was kind of reassuring; they wouldn’t need to worry about him.

The last folder was labelled Esther. It chilled her bones to read the name; from everything Elijah had told Alex about his past, she hated the woman. Both Esther and Mikael were possibly the worst parents ever. Alex could understand the desire to protect one's family, but to force them to turn into vampires, to murder their own children was horrifying.

The details about Esther was short by simple. It detailed the Sun and Moon Curse, there were details about the steps taken to create vampires, but it seemed more speculation than actual fact. What did caught Alex’s eye was a page that had notes splashed all over it. The main body paragraph talked about a linking spell. It mentioned specifics of a ritual and ingredients required—the blood of each party and a binding agent. Alex froze when she saw a note that read: _Binding Agent – Doppelganger Blood?_

It seemed that the witch, Roman, was trying to link a group of people together. It didn’t specify whom, but Alex couldn’t help but think of the Originals; it would make sense that they would need something as powerful and rare as Doppelganger blood to bind such powerful creatures. If they could link together all of the Mikaelson siblings, they would all be bound by one another’s fate. Instead of having to try and kill five Original vampires, they just needed to kill one.

The only thing stopping Alex from panicking was that if this was the Council’s plan, they couldn’t get to all Mikaelson siblings. Klaus was locked away, protected from everyone. The Council wouldn’t risk only trying to eliminate most of the problem; they would want to do it all at once. If Kol’s disappearance was linked to this idea, then it was possible they would try and force Alex’s hand into either handing Klaus over or waking him up. She wouldn’t let it happen, but she needed to know exactly what the outcomes could be.

Alex felt like her theory was plausible. Kol was being cloaked by someone, and for some reason, he had gone back to Mystic Falls. It made sense. Closing the folder, Alex leant back in her chair and fiddled with her phone. She needed to let Elijah know what she had found, but she also needed to know more.

Open her messages, Alex found the latest message from Elena, which contained Matt Donovan’s phone number and called him. The phone rang three times; Alex’s palm tapped the table which each ring.

“Hello?” Matt answered.

“Matt, it’s Alex.”

“Alex, great. Elena said she spoke to you.”

“That she did. I need to know anything you can tell me about Kol.”

“There’s not much,” he said. “Kol seemed really out of it, almost like he was high or drunk or both. If he wasn’t a vampire, that would have been my first assumption.”

“Right…where did you see him exactly?” she asked.

“Just outside of town. I was doing my nightly patrol when I saw him walking along the road. When I recognised him, I pulled over and tried to talk to him, but he didn’t even really seem to notice that I was there.”

Alex didn’t like the sound of that. Not many human drugs could mess up a vampire in that way, and it would take an enormous amount of alcohol. Alex considered that a witch might have been the cause, a spell perhaps.

“Did he try and attack you at all?” she asked.

“Nope,” said Matt. “He just muttered to himself and then just ran off.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, it was weird. That was why I rang Elena.”

“Yeah, thanks for that. If you could keep an eye out for him and ring me if he does reappear, I would appreciate it.”

“Of course, no problem.”

“Great…also Matt, have there been any strange things happening around Mystic Falls that would be more magic related than vampire?”

Matt seemed to think about it for a moment. “Not that I know of…let me check, and I will get back to you if there is anything.”

“Great, thanks again.”

“All good, bye Alex.”

“Bye.”

Ending the call, Alex sat back. Someone had messed with Kol; whether or not Kol had been willing was another question. But it was a start. Alex looked back at the folders and decided she needed to finish going through it, just in case there was something more.

*

*

*

The sun was shining so brightly that Elena hadn’t been able to resist heading outside to do her homework on the grass. She had grabbed a picnic blanket from Caroline along with some water, laptop and her headphones. She found a perfect spot beneath a tree and got herself comfortable before cracking down on her work. Finals were in a few days, and she had one last assignment that she needed to finish before then.

Her laptop sat open with her main essay document, which was almost finished. On her knee rested her notebook and a draft on her conclusion that she had rewritten two times now. She was almost happy with it but was trying to find the perfect last sentence; she wanted it to end on a good note.

Elena tapped her pen as she considered her wording when her phone rang. She pulled out an earphone and smiled when she was Stefan’s name.

“Hey,” she answered.

“Hello, how has your day been?” he asked.

“Not too bad, yours?”

He sighed. “It’s been okay. Damon is being Damon.”

Elena cringed. It had seemed that since Christmas, Damon was acting up. Stefan had been unable to pinpoint what exactly was causing his brother to ‘be a dick’, and it was infuriating him. Elena hadn’t wanted to get in the middle of it; she had seen the damage it could cause when Katherine had placed herself between them, and Elena wanted to avoid that as much as possible. And while that was her plan, Elena also knew it probably wouldn’t last. Especially since she knew the exact reason, Damon was being a dick.

Christmas had been exciting for Elena, Alex was coming to visit, and since she hadn’t been able to come to Mystic Falls for Thanksgiving, things were meant to be even more special. Instead of having dinner at the Gilbert family home, Damon had offered to host it at the Boarding House since they had more room. Everyone had thought it was a great idea, and everyone still believed it had been a great night. Elena had mostly enjoyed herself until towards the end; she took it upon herself to start cleaning up, and Damon had been the first to join her. They quickly made work of the mess, but it devolved quickly into a fight with bubbles that ended up including Stefan and Alex as well. When the fight was over, and Elena claimed victory, Stefan had pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When they had pulled back, Elena had noticed that Damon’s mood shifted.

Over the last few years, Elena had come to consider Damon, her friend. She knew that there had been complicated feelings on his end, and she understood that, but she had hoped that he understood that she loved Stefan. It had never been her intention to lead him on, and it was only out of concern for her friend that she went and found him. He was sitting in his room, drinking scotch—a fairly common occurrence for him—and he looked at her with such lost eyes.

Elena couldn’t pinpoint the moment it happened or for how long it happened, but Damon kissed her. When it had clicked in her mind that she couldn’t let it happen, she had pulled away, and out of instinct, smacked him. Neither of them had mentioned it since, but Damon had been harsh towards her. Not in a mean way, but more cold and uncaring. She knew that his feelings were hurt, but she couldn’t explain that to Stefan.

“Maybe you should try some brotherly bonding,” Elena suggested.

Stefan scoffed. “No, that is the last thing I want to do right now.”

“Whatever is up his ass, he will get over it.”

At least, Elena hoped he would. She didn’t want to hurt Stefan over something that had meant nothing to her.

“Maybe…did you speak to Matt?” Stefan asked.

“Yeah, I did.”

“I did have a look around town for Kol, but I didn’t see him. I did run into Elijah, though.”

“Alex said Elijah was looking for Kol. Apparently, he has been M.I.A for some time.”

“Strange choice for him to come to Mystic Falls.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Did they have any idea what was going on with him?”

“No.”

Elena hadn’t known what to think about Kol. It worried her what him running off could mean.

“Alex seemed worried,” she said.

“I’m sure Kol will be fine. He is an Original after all,” said Stefan.

Elena sighed. He was right.

“Anway, enough of the drama, you ready for finals?”

Elena stayed on the phone with Stefan for another twenty minutes. She caught him up on her week, and then they made plans for when she got back to Mystic Falls. They hadn’t seen a lot of each other recently, her studies keeping her occupied. It was a month until she graduated from her Undergraduate Degree, and then she would be applying to medical school. There had been a few that she was considering, and it looked like depending on whereabouts her school was, Stefan had wanted to move there with her. It seemed to be something they were discussing a lot, which made her excited for their future.

But she needed to focus on the now more and her future less at that moment. She silenced her phone so that there would be no more distractions and got back to her essay.

*

*

*

The town square was busy with people. The sun was shining down; everyone had decided to spend the day outside. Spring had blessed Mystic Falls with a vibrant day, and while Elijah would have normally enjoyed such a fine day with Alex by his side, the two of them enjoyed just walking through the streets together; he was instead trying to locate his brother. He seemed to have hit a dead-end and contemplated his next step while sitting on a park bench in the town square.

The last time Elijah had come to Mystic Falls was with Alex to celebrate Christmas with her family. They had rented a room at a ‘Bed and Breakfast’ just outside of town and had spent Christmas Eve until New Years Day there. It had been a nice change, the two of them enjoying the cosy hotel and then spending the chaotic days with Alex’s family.

That was a few months ago now, and the small town looked the same as ever. Nothing ever seemed to change in Mystic Falls, and Elijah could never decide if that was a good thing or not. He was confident enough that he knew for certain that Kol wouldn’t return to Mystic Falls without reason. Something or someone had brought Kol back, and he had done a good job of covering his tracks. The only person who had seen any sight of Kol had been Elena’s friend, a Sheriff Deputy. Elijah had searched the area in which Matt had seen Kol, but there was still no sign.

It was starting to frustrate Elijah. Kol had a history of stupid choices and leaving a trail of destruction, but now he had done a good job of keeping himself hidden, too much of a good job. Elijah had pondered forgetting about Kol and returning to Atlanta; he missed Alex and hated the fact that he had been so far away from her when another Council witch had shown up. He had more important things to do, like find a way to destroy the bloody Council; chasing around after his little brother was a nuisance.

The main thing keeping Elijah from heading home was Alex’s concerns. She seemed to believe that the Council were somehow involved with Kol’s disappearance. It was a known fact that the Council had always looked for a way to kill him and his siblings; if the myth about their sire lines were true, they would only need to kill five Originals instead of thousands of vampires. Elijah could see the appeal.

It made him wonder if the Council had found a way to kill them. There was no known White Oak left; they had made sure of that. So what other way would they kill them? It would have to be a spell of some kind, possibly something that would weaken them. He wasn’t sure.

Elijah’s phone rang in his pocket. He read Rebekah’s name on the screen before he answered.

“Hello, Rebekah.”

“Elijah, how goes your hunt?” she asked.

He sighed. “Nowhere. Kol still eludes me.”

Rebekah chuckled. “Sounds like you are stumped.”

“It feels like it. Alex tried to track him again for me, but this time it didn’t work. It seemed that someone has cloaked our brother.”

Rebekah clicked her tongue. “Do you think Kol is trying to hide?”

“That is unclear. However, Alex also believes that the Council could be behind his disappearing act.”

“Why would they hide Kol?”

“The Council have always sort a way to kill us, you know this. Perhaps they finally have a way.”

“And so they took Kol to kill him?”

“Maybe.”

“Why do you sound so calm about that? Shouldn’t we be more concerned?” Rebekah asked. Her voice had gone up in pitch.

Elijah cringed at his sister's voice. “Panic will not help anything. I just need some breadcrumbs.”

“Have you contacted the Salvatore’s? Maybe they can help you.”

Elijah wouldn’t want to ask those brother’s for help if they were the only thing standing between him and death. They were childish and obsessive.

“Or maybe a local witch could help?” offered Rebekah.

“The only witch I trust to look for our brother is Alexandra.”

“Ask her friends, the Bennett witch and Sarah.”

“Both of them are still at Whitmore. They won’t be back in Mystic Falls till after finals.”

Rebekah sighed. “Fine then. Alex and I will catch a flight to Virginia. Clearly, you need our help.”

Elijah frowned. He hated admitting that he had failed, but if things could be worse than he originally thought, then it would be best that they were all together.

“How is Alex?” asked Elijah.

He had spoken to her earlier; she had assured him that after the attack yesterday, she was fine, but he hated not being able to see her and make sure she was safe.

Rebekah said, “She is perfectly fine. Maybe a little hungover.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Rebekah snorted a laugh. “Please, she saved me ass yesterday. Try not to underestimate her so much.”

Elijah spoke to Rebekah for a little longer before hanging up and standing from the bench where he sat. Rebekah and Alex would fly to Virginia and hire a car from the airport. Elijah needed to find a safe place that would allow them privacy; a small bed and breakfast wouldn’t work this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?
> 
> Comments feed my creativity demon! Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

The biggest differences that Elijah found between his current home in Atlanta and Mystic Falls was the noise. Over the years, the world had grown noisy and sometimes unpleasant. Seeing the world change and grow had been exciting and intriguing, but Elijah missed the peace he could find outside. He would often step outside to get away from his siblings' constant bickering; taking a stroll was common back then. No matter where he went, there was always noise—so many humans with so little patients that they never stopped to enjoy the little things.

But being back in Mystic Falls, Elijah was once again able to enjoy the quiet of such a small town. With Alex and Rebekah on their way to Mystic Falls to help with the search for Kol, since his own search had come to an abrupt halt, he needed to find a place for them to stay. They needed someone private, and since Elijah knew that Alex’s family home wouldn’t be suitable for their needs—at the moment—due to Jenna’s baby, there was only one place left.

A property Niklaus had purchased when he had returned to Mystic Falls five years prior. It seemed to have been left half renovated, probably due to Klaus being sealed in his own coffin. Elijah had found it odd that his brother had intended to lay down roots in the small town; it had never been to his liking.

The home was empty. Few furniture pieces sat in different rooms, and there were a few stray buckets of paint and brushes lying about. Elijah had walked through the house and found one room that appeared to be an art studio that held a few pieces of art sitting under dust covers. Glancing through them, he would recognise Niklaus’ art anywhere. It had hurt to see them.

The last time Elijah had seen Klaus was in the coffin that Alex had placed him. Desiccated and unable to move, he was bound and sealed away. Not only to protect Elena but everyone. The time would come one day when he would release his brother, but he knew it probably wouldn’t be in Alex’s lifetime. But even for all his faults, Elijah missed his brother. For a thousand years, he had always just been around, and now for the first time ever, he wasn’t.

Their last conversation had been full of anger and betrayal. Niklaus had led him to believe that Rebekah, Kol and Finn were lost to him forever. It had pushed Elijah to the point that he had wanted his brother dead; for the first time, he had wanted to rip out Niklaus’ heart and watch him die. But now, all he wanted was for their family to be together. Their promise of always and forever seemed to haunt him, even more so as he stood in the house that Elijah believed Niklaus had meant to make their new home. Being in the house was to quiet, too quiet. And for the first time in a long time, Elijah wished for the noise of the city.

Rather than allow himself to dwell on his feelings for his sleeping brother, he focused on making sure the home would be suitable for Alex and Rebekah once they arrived. Finding two bedrooms, he cleared the dust and ordered a few basic things that they would need. He also ordered some grocery’s to be delivered for Alex and blood for himself and Rebekah.

The house was in a mostly suitable state by the time he heard a car pull up the driveway. Alex had called him when they had landed at the airport and had given him a text when they passed the town border. He had made sure that he had food waiting for when she arrived since it was late, and no doubt Alex would be hungry. Alex’s love for food was one of the few things that Elijah found amusing. In the five years that he had spent learning everything he could about her, loving her, and treating her to food from all over the world, he knew that nothing made her happier than a pizza. They had continued to have the pineapple on pizza debate every time they ordered it, but it never got old.

Elijah opened the front door to see Rebekah climbing the steps. She smiled widely and pulled Elijah in for a hug.

“Thank god, someone normal,” she said.

“Hey,” yelled Alex, from where she stood at the boot of the car.

Elijah chuckled. “If anyone is normal, Bekah, it would be Alexandra.”

“Ha!” Alex climbed the steps with her bag slung over her shoulder. “You’re the weirdo.”

Rebekah laughed and shrugged. “Whatever.” She released Elijah and strolled inside.

Elijah reached for Alex and cupped her cheek. He leant down and pressed his lips gently against hers. It had been too long since he had seen her. The kiss was meant to be sweet and short, a simple hello. But Alex reached up with her free hand and cupped the back of his head. She deepened the kiss, and a small moan fell from Elijah. His other hand slid around her waist and pulled her body against him. The feeling of her skin, the taste of her lips, her sweet smell of honey; all of it calmed him and warmed his soul.

He pulled back and smiled. “Hello to you too.”

Alex returned his smile. “I missed you, and I’m stressed.”

He stroked her cheek. “Don’t be. We will sort it out.” He touched his forehead to hers.

“I know.”

Elijah kissed her forehead before stepping back, taking the bag from her hand and lacing their fingers together. “I made pizza,” he said.

Alex gasped. “Yes!”

They walked inside and headed straight to the kitchen. Elijah watched as Alex looked around the house and seemed to admire it. He watched as she scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brow; it almost made him chuckle. He knew that she wasn’t happy about being in Niklaus’ house, but he could tell that it annoyed her that she actually liked the place.

“Klaus had better taste than I thought,” she said.

He nodded. “That he does. However, he was always a little over the top.”

“This place is massive for one person.”

Alex's face seemed to glow as she spotted the fresh pizza sitting on the bench. She clapped her hands and dashed around the counter. Elijah placed her bag on the floor by the door and walked around to join her.

“I believe he intended for more than one person to live here,” he said.

Alex took a bite and hummed her smile content.

“This is so good. Who would live with him?” she asked.

Elijah leant against the counter. He didn’t know how she would take this.

“My belief is that he wanted it to be a family home,” he said.

Alex frowned but didn’t respond.

He cleared his throat. “Over our years together, there were a few times where we actually were happy. We were together, getting along for the most part. Niklaus always wanted us to be in the same home, and he would always make sure we had one. It always ended badly, but it always started out with good intentions.”

“Klaus had you all in coffins. Was he going to wake you up and just expect you all to stay with him?” she asked.

Elijah didn’t know how to respond. Alex was right; he would have. The thing that worried Elijah is that after a brief period of anger shared between them, they most likely would have repeated their cycle and stayed in the home.

“That is exactly what he would have done,” said Rebekah.

She walked into the kitchen, propped herself up onto the bench and crossed her legs.

She said, “He would have woken us up, told us that he had a new home. Any signs of resistance would have ended up with our daggers put right back in.”

“That’s messed up,” said Alex.

Elijah sighed and shifted. Again, Alex was right. Even though everything inside Elijah was telling him to defend his brother, how could he? Alex probably would never be able to understand the relationship between them all completely.

“Hey, you okay?” asked Alex.

Elijah cleared his throat and smiled at her. “I’m fine.”

She put down her pizza and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it and stepped closer until their bodies were touching.

“I’m sorry, I’m being judgemental again.”

Elijah shook his head. He understood her difficulties with Niklaus. After all, to save her sister, she had to complete a ritual in which Niklaus murdered Elena, and then she had to lose someone she had loved. He could never blame her for her hostility towards him.

Squeezing her hand back, he said, “I understand. Anyone would think the relationship between us is messed up. We are dysfunctional, but after a thousand years of insanity, what can you expect?”

Rebekah laughed. “I think dysfunctional is the polite word.”

Alex chuckled and nodded. “That it is. But even after a thousand years,” she looked up at Elijah and smiled, “you two turned out alright, at least in my books.”

Elijah leant his head down, smiling at her. “Well, I’m glad, Miss Gilbert, that I meet your standards.”

“That you do,” said Alex.

She closed the small gap and kissed him. Elijah wrapped both of his arms around her waist, and Alex cupped his cheeks. It was sweet and loving, and it just seemed to make all their emotional crap just disappear.

Rebekah made heaving noises and jumped off the counter.

“You two are so gross; I’m going to find a snack,” she said.

Alex laughed and broke the kiss.

Elijah ignored his sister and nuzzled his nose against her cheek.

“Don’t kill anyone, please,” yelled Alex after Rebekah.

“Yeah, yeah. Stop making out and find Kol,” she yelled back.

Alex looked back to Elijah. “She’s right; we do need to find him.”

Elijah slid his hands down her back, over her bottom and cupped the backs of her thighs. He hoisted her up and placed her onto the counter. She gripped his shoulders and smiled. He ghosted his lips across hers. She closed her eyes as his breath sent a shiver down her spine.

Kissing her cheek, he said, “He will be fine for another few hours.”

“A few hours, huh?”

Elijah nodded. “We have a few days to make up for.”

He kissed her again; this time, it wasn’t sweet. He kissed her deeply and held her tightly against him. He slid his tongue along her bottom lip and then slipped it into her mouth when she opened it for him. His hands cupped her hips, his finger digging into the denim of her jeans.

Alex gripped the back of his neck and moaned as his tongue danced with hers. She grabbed the tie around his neck and tugged at it until it slid from his neck and onto the floor. She pulled at the buttons and pushed the jacket off his shoulders.

He pulled the jacket off and threw it to the ground. At any other moment, he would take a moment to dust it off and lay it over a chair or the counter but having Alex so close sent all his senses into overdrive.

Alex pushed at his shirt, and as he pulled it from where it was tucked in, she pulled back from his lips for a moment to pull the tank top, she had on, off and throw it behind her. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his lips back to hers in a searing kiss.

Elijah moved his mouth from hers and along her jawline. He nibbled along her skin, sucking and kissing, as he moved to her ear. He bit down on her lobe and sucked it into her mouth.

She cried out and reached for his belt.

“Don’t tease me,” she said.

He smiled against her throat. “Never.”

His lips continued their journey down her throat to her tanned chest.

She popped open his belt and popped open his pants. She hooked her finger into his briefs and pushed them down his thighs, his hard cock popped out, and she wrapped one hand around the base and pumped him gently.

“I need you,” she gasped.

He nuzzled and moaned against her chest and slid his fingers tips along her sides. She shivered and buried her free hand into his hair. 

“Please,” she begged.

He hooked his finger into her pants and yanked them down her legs, bringing her panties down too. Her pussy was dripping with anticipation. Her scent called to him, as sweet and fresh as her blood was. He pulled her pants all the way off and dropped them onto the floor; he dragged her body flush against him and ran his fingers up the side of her legs.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she cupped his face. He kissed her again and reached down to grab his cock and line it with her dripping entrance. Sliding forward, his head rubbed against her fold, and she whimpered against his lips.

“So wet,” he mumbled against her lips.

Alex moaned and tugged at his hair.

“Only for you,” she whispered.

He smiled and pushed himself inside. They both moaned out as he buried himself in her depths. Gripping her hips, he pulled himself out and then thrust back in. Elijah was tempted to fuck her until she forgot her name, but he wanted to take his time. Being buried inside her, her walls squeezing him, his name falling from her lips, made it so much better.

Alex’s fingers tightened in his hair, and she dug her heels into his ass to push him in deeper.

“Elijah,” she cried.

“I love you,” he said.

Alex opened her eyes and stared into his. “I love you too.”

He kissed her and increased the speed of his thrusts. Every time his desire for her seemed to grow. The taste of her lips, the sensations of her body against his, the way she called out his name, it only made her want her more.

She shivered at his touch, and it delighted him to feel her respond. He wanted her to tremble, to cry out and be overwhelmed with such want that it was almost too much. Elijah’s finger dug into her skin as her body tightened around him, pulling him closer to his own end.

He dropped his head to her chest, her heart danced beneath her skin, the blood in her veins called out to him. His lips found the tops of her breasts, and he slipped out his tongue to taste her skin.

Alex grip tightened on his hair, her body squeezing him enough more.

He licked across the blue lace of her bra that covered her harden nipples; he bit down and pulled a squeal out of Alex.

“Elijah, fuck!”

He sucked the nipple, lace and all, into his mouth and thrust into her harder.

She whimpered at his touch, and her head fell back. He glanced up and watched as a look of pleasure, overwhelmed her bruised lips.

“Alexandra,” her name fell from his lips in a whisper.

She opened her eyes and looked him in the eye.

He released her nipple and leant up to kiss her again.

“I’m so close,” she gasped.

He pushed himself harder, his thrust seeming to bury himself even deeper than before.

“Cum for me,” he said.

She moaned, and he caught her lips. He swallowed her moan. He gripped her blonde locks and shuddered as her walls clamped down on him as her orgasm washed over her, pulling his end from him.

They stilled against the counter. Elijah smiled at her and cupped her face. He leant their foreheads together and took a moment to calm both of their hearts. She nuzzled her nose against his, her smile was bright, and her cheeks flushed.

“I love you,” she said.

She pulled Elijah to her for another kiss.

“I love you too,” he said.

*

*

*

They didn’t spend hours catching up, but after having sex in the kitchen and a quick clean up, they ate cold pizza and headed upstairs to shower. One shower turned into two since it seemed they could not stop themselves, but they did manage to dress in fresh clothes.

Alex sat on the bed, dressed in a pair of clean jeans and a tank; her grimoire opened before her and a Mystic Falls map beside that. She had attempted to track Kol again but had been unsuccessful. Elijah stood over by the window that overlooked the front driveway, a glass of scotch in his hand and a thoughtful frown on his face.

Alex glanced up at him and couldn’t help but smile. When their relationship was still new, she had found him interesting to look at. He would often end up staring out a window considering his options; he would end up with a faraway look in his eye, and only when he had come up with a conclusion or an option would he take a sip of his drink. It had taken a few years to understand the different responses he would make; if he was happy, a small smirk would appear briefly on his lips; if he was displeased, a small huff would fall from his lips; and her favourite, if he were annoyed, his eyes would roll, and he would polish off his drink with one mouthful. Looking at him now, she watched as his brow furrowed.

They had already discussed everything they both knew about what was going on. Alex had explained to Elijah the notes she found about a linking spell, and it had concerned him just as much as it had her. Alex had tried looking in the grimoire to see if there was anything about linking spells that she had missed, but there didn’t seem to be anything. She had also searched for a way to find Kol, but again, she had nothing.

She closed her grimoire and said, “I need some help.”

Elijah turned to face her, the furrowed brow faded, and a look of interest appeared.

“How can I help?” he asked.

“As helpful as you can be, you lack one element,” said Alex.

He nodded. “You meant a witches help.”

She nodded. “I’ll give Bonnie and Sarah a call. I thought that if we pool our magic together, then maybe we can overpower the cloaking spell.”

Elijah frowned. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

She shrugged. “Everyone says it’s impossible, but I’ve never met anyone who has tried it, so why not give it ago. Nothing else we can do until someone either spots Kol or we think of something else.”

“Right.” He finished his drink and then said, “I’m going to ring a few contacts, see if anyone can help.”

Alex nodded. “I thought you did that already.”

He sighed. “There are still a few people I haven’t tried.”

He walked over and pressed a kiss to her cheek before leaving the room.

Alex glanced over the map and frowned. She had no idea if a combined effort would work, but it couldn’t hurt. She dialled Sarah’s number and waited. It rang three times before she answered.

“Hang on…hang on.”

Alex cringed as she heard a crash.

“Fuck!”

Alex bit down on her lip to keep herself from laughing.

The phone jostled, and Sarah huffed. “Sorry, I dropped my phone.”

“All good, how are you?” Alex asked.

Sarah sighed. “Exhausted. I just spent 30 minutes arguing with my lecture about my last assignment. Stupid bitch thinks just because she worked in Paris means that she knows everything.” She huffed and cleared her throat. “Anyway, how are you? How’s Elijah?”

Alex smiled. She missed Sarah.

“We are good, currently in Mystic Falls on an Original hunt.”

“Klaus didn’t get out, did he?” Sarah asked.

“No, no. Not Klaus. He is still locked up,” said Alex.

Sarah sighed happily. “Good. So which Mikaelson got in your bad books?”

Alex laughed. “None. Kol is actually missing.”

Sarah paused, hummed, and said, “Oh, really? You sure he isn’t off on some blood binge?”

Alex snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

It had been her first assumption, too, when Elijah told her a week before that he couldn’t contact Kol.

She said, “Especially since someone has him cloaked.”

“Oh yeah, that’s a bit sus.”

“Exactly. I was actually calling to get some help; I was hoping you and Bonnie could help me track him.”

“How? If he’s cloaked, what else can we do?” Sarah asked.

“I want to try and overpower the spell, but we’d all need to be together.”

Sarah said, “Interesting. Well, finals are underway; I still have three to do. I was planning on coming back to Mystic Falls with Elena on Friday; that’s when all our finals are done.”

Alex nodded. That was three days.

“I think Kol can survive a few more days,” said Sarah.

“I suppose.”

“It’s not like someone could kill him.”

That was the thing, though. Alex wasn’t sure what exactly was going on with Kol. Were the Council involved? Were they planning on linking the Mikaelson’s together? There were too many unknown facts, and it made Alex feel powerless. She hoped that Sarah and Bonnie could help her change that.

“So, you will be here Friday?” asked Alex.

“Yeah, Friday. I’ll let you know if I can come back sooner.”

Alex sighed. “Okay, great.”

“I got to go; bye, Alex.”

“Bye, Sarah.”

If she had to wait three days, then she would have to wait three days. She did bring the duffle bag full of information with her, so many Alex could go over it again. Maybe a second pair of eyes would notice something she hadn’t.

But before she did that, she tried Bonnie. Hitting the dial button, she waited. The phone rang four times and then it was answered.

“Bonnie’s phone,” said a deep guys voice.

Alex frowned. “Is Bonnie there?”

“Yeah, she’s just in the shower. Who’s this?” the guy asked.

“I’m a friend, more like an older sister. Who are you?” Alex asked.

He chuckled. “I’m just a friend.”

“Yeah, okay. Could you tell Bonnie to call me?”

“Sure,” he said. “But she might not be able to call you until tomorrow. I’m rather a handful.”

Alex scoffed. “Whatever.”

She hung up. She would need to tell Bonnie to drop him; he sounded horrid.

Chucking her phone onto the bed, she jumped up and walked over to her bag. Alex had bought along a few books that she had hoped might be able to help. While she waited for Elijah to make his calls, she would see what she could find.

*

*

*

For a time, the small-town vibe seemed to suit Rebekah. Elijah had encouraged her to try and find her place in this new era after she had woken up, but do it without needless slaughter. Never having experienced high school before, Rebekah chose to enrol in Mystic Falls High School to find out what all the fuss was about. It was interesting watching how desperate the humans were, all rushing around, all of them trying to be better than their friends. It had amused her for some time. Rebekah had even enjoyed shocking Alex’s sister and her friends when she showed up. Even though she had promised to be on her best behaviour, it didn’t mean she couldn’t stir up some not violent trouble.

By the time Alex and Elijah decided to leave, Rebekah had grown bored of the small town. She wanted to see more of the world, explore how it had changed, so she left the quiet town and explored the modern world. Eventually, she regrouped with Elijah and Alex; she liked having her family around her.

The one thing that she had always enjoyed about Mystic Falls was how easy it was to find a fresh drink. The high school boys were always the same, cocky and thinking with the head between their legs. Rebekah didn’t even need to use compulsion to get them alone; they would just follow her.

So just like she always had, Rebekah strolled straight into the Grill and spotted a particularly rowdy group of teenage boys. They were all wearing their football jumpers and shoving one another over by the pool tables. She didn’t walk right over and interrupt; she wanted to have a little bit of fun.

Rebekah moved over to the bar and compelled herself a drink. She sat on the stool, crossed her legs so that her skirt revealed more of her thigh and glanced over at the group of boys. It took less than a minute before one of them spotted her, smiled and then nudged all his friends. Rebekah had to hold in her laugh as she watched the first boy who had looked at her be pushed by all his friends to go over to her.

He was rather cute for a teenager; sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, a fit body. He even had a cute smile that was gracing his lips as he crossed the room. Rebekah imagined that he would take delicious.

“Nice to know that your taste in men hasn’t changed.”

Rebekah turned around in her chair to face a familiar blonde hair blue eyed young man that had once been a footballer himself.

“Matt Donovan.” She smiled. “You look good in a Sheriff’s uniform.”

Matt smiled at her compliment. He said, “Thank you; you look good yourself.”

Rebekah flicked her hair over her shoulder and shrugged.

“When did you get back in town?” he asked.

“Less than an hour ago.”

“You here because of Kol too?”

She nodded. “I dropped Alex off with Elijah and have let them to…reunite.”

Matt cringed slightly. “Right.”

Rebekah smirked.

“So you decided to come down to the Grill and see what was on the menu?”

She nodded. “That I did.”

Matt stepped into her personal space, his body leaning against the bar.

He said, “Find anything that has piqued your interest?”

Rebekah giggled. “Maybe. Why? Jealous?”

Matt laughed softly. “Possibly…but I should also tell you that the town’s water supply is still laced with vervain.”

Rebekah sighed and pouted. “Shame. He did look delicious.”

Reaching out her hand, Rebekah ran her fingers down the black-tie that Matt was wearing. She enjoyed the look in his eyes as his heartbeat increased just from her touch.

Back when she had been living in town, she had gotten to know Matt. Unlike the rest of Elena’s friends, he had been kind and welcoming, and Rebekah had admitted to herself that she quickly became smitten with him. Matt was too nice for a girl like her, but he was funny and charming, and his dimples were adorable when he grinned.

“Maybe I could take you out for dinner; make up for the disappointing outcome,” said Matt.

Rebekah nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Great, you busy tomorrow?” he asked.

Rebekah finished her drink and said, “I’m free now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?
> 
> Comments fuel my creativity monster! Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

Elena sat on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, one book rested on her knee, the other sitting open on the coffee table. She had just polished off her second cup of coffee and was thinking it might be time to swap over to tea or have an apple instead. Her early mornings would always start to hit her around dinner time; Elena would find that staying up later than nine seemed almost impossible. She coped like any other good college student and drank a preposterous amount of coffee.

She looked down at her notes before her and sighed. Finals started in the morning. Elena was feeling good about her assignments, but she was slightly nervous about taking her finals. She would be glad once they were over with. It also meant that soon she could head back to Mystic Falls and plan her next steps, which meant Medical School.

Elena was also looking forward to going home to see Jenna and Alaric. The two of them were so happy together, and now they had their little munchkin that was always running around and causing chaos. The two of them still lived in the Gilbert family home, which Alex, Elena and Jeremy had insisted on. Maybe one day, one of them might want the house, but for now, while Elena was working on becoming a doctor and Jeremy was off in L.A. doing his thing, it made sense for them to stay.

Speaking to Alex earlier had made Elena realise how much she was missing her siblings. She had seen Alex at Christmas, and it had been nice to catch up with her, but Jeremy hadn’t come home. Ever since he had headed off to California, he had only been home a handful of times; everyone understood that Jeremy was enjoying himself, he was doing really well in his art program, and Alex had made a comment that she was glad that he wasn’t involved it all of the supernatural stuff like they were. Elena was thankful for that, too; even if things had been mostly calm since Klaus, she preferred he stayed out of it all.

Elena shifted on the couch, untucking her legs that were now stiff from sitting in one position for too long; she placed her notebook onto the coffee table before carrying her empty cup into the small kitchenette. Their whole dorm room was much more of a small apartment; the main room consisting of the living space which had a couch, a chair and a beanbag and a small TV that sat beside the door; the kitchenette was just to the left of the front door, had a small bar fridge, couple of cabinets, sink and microwave; they shared a bathroom that was a little cramped; and they all had their own small bedroom. One of the cupboards was stocked with all sorts of snacks and drinks. Coffee and tea were the main options; Elena was never a big tea drinker, so the tea options were Caroline and Bonnie’s preferences. The green tea was Bonnies, and the black tea was Carolines. Elena grabbed a green tea bag and popped in the tea bag after rinsing out her cup. She boiled the kettle and then leant back against the counter while she waited.

Checking the clock on the wall, Elena knew that Bonnie and Caroline would be home soon. Bonnie had been out all day even though she had only one class, that was an evening class; Caroline had speculated that she was getting laid. Caroline had three classes throughout the day; she had appeared once while Elena was studying to grab a blood bag that she practically inhaled before rushing off to her next class.

The kettle finished boiling as the door swung open. Elena glanced up to see Bonnie marching in with a pissed off look on her face. She dropped her books and her bag onto the coffee table and then flopped onto the couch.

Elena poured her tea and asked, “Good day?”

Bonnie huffed. “Why am I an idiot, Elena?”

Stirring her tea, Elena said, “I wouldn’t call you an idiot.”

“Really? Because the men I sleep with always turn out to be dickheads.”

Elena shrugged and walked over with her tea. She sat down beside Bonnie and took a sip. “Is that where you were this morning?” asked Elena.

Bonnie nodded.

“Caroline will be glad to know she was right…again.”

“She thought I was having sex?”

Elena nodded.

“Good God, am I that obvious?”

“No. But it is Caroline; she can smell things human’s can’t remember.”

Bonnie cringed. “Right. Eww.”

Elena chuckled and took another sip of her tea. “So what happened?” she asked.

Bonnie sighed. “You know Josh from the coffee shop?”

Elena smiled. “Black hair, dreamy blue eyes?”

Bonnie nodded. “Yeah, him.”

“Oh, he’s cute.”

The door swung open, and Caroline walked in. “You were fucking Josh?” she asked.

Bonnie frowned. “Hi, Caroline, nice to see you.”

Caroline rolled her eyes and sat down on the single-seat, dropping her stuff on the floor. “Yeah, hi. Details now!”

Elena laughed.

“I was getting to it,” grumbled Bonnie.

“Apparently, Josh is a dickhead,” said Elena.

Caroline frowned. “Oh. So not dating material then?”

“No.”

“Repeat worthy?”

Bonnie sighed. “Maybe. But I don’t know if I would even bother. The fucker answered my phone while I was in the shower and was going through it when I came out.”

Elena and Caroline both frowned.

“Seriously?” asked Elena.

“I hope you kicked him in the balls for that,” said Caroline.

“No. I did smack him, though and told him that he had lousy technique.” Bonnie sunk lower into the couch.

“Why do I feel like that isn’t true?” said Caroline.

“Because it’s not. The asshole has a great cock and knows how to bloody use it.”

“Well, that’s disappointing,” said Elena.

Bonnie grabbed a pillow and wrapped her arms around it.

It seemed to be an ongoing thing for Bonnie since her relationship with Jeremy ended. It hadn’t ended well either. Elena had witnessed one of her best friends and her brother screaming at one another over another girl that Jeremy swore was just a friend. When the relationship crumbled, it had been awkward for weeks. Elena had been relieved when they returned to Whitmore, and Bonnie started to move on. But her moving on was more causal hookups with guys who turned out to be horrible.

“Maybe we should have Sarah pick guys for you from now on?” said Caroline.

Elena laughed while Bonnie looked at the blonde, horrified.

Sarah was a one of a kind. They had gotten to know her really well after the whole Klaus incident. Her brother gave up his life so that Elena could live, and still to this day, Elena had felt responsible. Sarah had insisted that the only person she held responsible for James’ death was Klaus. Besides that, it had been really hard for the trio of best friends not to like Sarah; she was funny, clever, and caring. She was also brutally honest. It hadn’t taken long after she moved into Alex’s old bedroom for them to start spending plenty of time together. When they headed off to Whitmore, Sarah decided to try college out for herself. She got in a Bachelor of Arts since apparently she could paint like no other and knew a lot about art history, and was considering working as a curator.

But the thing that always made the three of them laugh was Sarah’s approach to the opposite sex. Since they had known her, she had never had a boyfriend or dated as far as they were aware, but they believed that was because of Sarah tendency to intimidate men. They normally ran away from her with their tails between their legs because she wounded their pride. Sarah was extremely picky about who she spent her time on.

“I will ask Sarah to pick me out a date when I no longer wish for men to date me,” said Bonnie.

Caroline smirked and shrugged.

“Let’s ask her what she thinks anyway,” said Elena.

She put her tea down on the coffee table before pulling out her phone and calling Sarah. The phone rang three times before it was answered. The click of the phone being answered was followed by the sound of a crash and a groan.

“Fuck sake.”

The girls giggled at Sarah.

“Don’t you laugh at me,” said Sarah. The phone rustled, and then Sarah huffed again. “Hello, friends. What’s happening?”

“Oh, you know,” said Elena, “Bonnie’s just filling us in on her dating life.”

“Ohh, do tell.”

“Why are you always so interested in our love life when you never share anything about your own?” asked Bonnie.

“Because if I told you my secrets, then I would have to kill you,” teased Sarah.

“Bring it,” said Caroline.

“Oh, Care-Bear, don’t tempt me.”

Elena just giggled at her friend's antics. She picked up her green tea and took a few more sips.

“Just to change the subject,” said Sarah, “Bonnie, did Alex ring you?”

Bonnie frowned. “I don’t think so.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped at the screen. Her face turned dark, and she sat up.

“That bloody dick. That was who called earlier.”

“What?” asked Sarah.

“Josh answered Bonnie’s phone while she was showering,” explained Elena.

“Oh,” said Sarah, “wait…coffee shop Josh?”

“Yeah, why?” asked Bonnie.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it…You should call Alex back; she needs our help with a spell,” said Sarah.

“Why kind?” asked Bonnie.

“Anything to do with Kol?” asked Elena.

“Yeah. Apparently, he is cloaked,” explained Sarah.

“Right…I better call Alex.”

Bonnie stood up and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

“Is Alex alright?” asked Elena.

It hadn’t been too long since she had spoken to her sister, but things tended to happen quickly.

“She seemed fine,” said Sarah. “She was in Mystic Falls with Elijah and asked for mine and Bonnie’s magical assistance.”

Elena didn’t even know Alex had gone to Mystic Falls; she hadn’t told her.

“Anyway, I have to go back to arguing with my lecturer. I’ll see you all later,” said Sarah.

Hanging up the call, Caroline picked up her stuff and said she was going for a shower. Elena glanced at her textbook and frowned, she wasn’t really in the mood to study anymore, but she had finals the next day. She picked up her notebook and sighed.

It shouldn’t bother her that Alex was calling Sarah and Bonnie for help, and it shouldn’t bother her that Alex goes back to Mystic Falls to help Elijah. But it did. Elena understood that Alex wasn’t back for a social visit; if she was, Elena would have known, and it probably would have been done when they both would have time. The whole situation was about finding Kol, but Elena couldn’t shake the jealous feeling in her gut. 

*

*

*

The one thing that Rebekah had learned to cherish in her long life was the little moments. Her brother was always there, waiting to interrupt her happiness or lock her away in a coffin. For years, any small stolen moment that she could find she cherished, and it felt good to be with someone who made her feel good without having to worry if Nik was going to show up and kill him.

After running into Matt at the Grill, his offer of dinner started with pizza and beer at his house, which Rebekah had enjoyed. But once the food was gone, their clothes disappeared, and Rebekah remembered one of the many things she enjoyed about the sandy blonde-haired man. Matt was a very attentive lover; he seemed to enjoy making sure Rebekah crashed over the edge before he even thought about his own needs. And that tongue, Rebekah could only recall two or three men in her whole life that had used their tongue as well at Matt.

When they had finished with their tumble on the couch, then on the kitchen counter, and then in Matt’s bed, Rebekah was content to lay on her side snuggled against Matt’s side. They had been catching up with what the latest was for each of them, kissing and possibly leaning towards another round.

Matt rolled Rebekah onto her back and smiled at her.

He said, “I wish you would visit more often.”

Rebekah returned his smile. “Nothing is stopping you from visiting me.”

Matt nodded. “True. But unlike you, I do have a job.”

She sighed and hung her arms around his neck. “That sounds like a you problem.”

He leant down and kissed her again. “It seems that my job was what led to you coming back, so I’m not going to complain.”

Rebekah nibbled his lip. “Make sure to send Kol a thank you card once we find me.”

“I just might.” Matt pressed his lips to her throat and sucked lightly on the skin.

“Mmmm…at least I know it wasn’t a total waste coming back to this town,” she said.

“That it wasn’t.”

Rebekah enjoyed his attentions, let her body relax completely against the mattress.

“Has Elijah made any progress on finding Kol?” asked Matt, his teeth nibbling her shoulder.

“No,” she sighed, “Alex said that he’s cloaked.”

“That’s a bummer.”

“Alex thinks that there are other witches involved.”

“Would explain Kol’s behaviour.”

Rebekah pulled back and frowned. “What behaviour?”

“When I saw him, it was like he was high or drunk. If it had been anyone else, I would have taken them down to the station.”

“It could have been a spell.”

“And he also kept muttering the name, Esther…”

Ice shot through Rebekah.

“…if she was the witch who turned him mad, I am staying away from her.”

Matt stroked Rebekah’s cheek; she caught his fingers and pressed her lips to them. She hadn’t heard her mother’s name spoken in so long, and it worried her that Kol would be mentioning it; it could be nothing; if a witch had cast a spell on him and it was messing with him, he could have no idea what he was saying.

“You okay?” he asked.

Rebekah nodded. “Yeah, sorry. Just thinking.”

“Did you know that when you think too hard, you get small wrinkles right here?” He pressed his finger to the top of her noses bridge.

Rebekah frowned. “I do not have wrinkles.”

Matt chuckled and kissed her again, silencing any sort of quip she might throw back at him. When he pulled back, he smiled and stroked her cheek again. “For an immortal beauty, I don’t think you will have to worry about wrinkles.”

She clicked her tongue but couldn’t stop her smile. Matt made her feel so normal and happy. She ran her fingers along his arms and lifted her head to initiate the kiss. Rebekah would make sure to mention her mother to Elijah, but that could wait for now.

*

*

*

Klaus’ house was quiet as Alex climbed off the bed. She had been stretched out over the mattress for the past few hours reading through spell after spell, trying to find something—anything—that could help her find Kol. It had become frustrating when there was nothing of use. Cloaking spells were a tricky thing to get around; normally, you would need luck on your side. There was normally a time limit involved; cloaking spells required a decent amount of magic to maintain, and sooner or later, a witch would reach their limit. Unless something had enough magical energy that wouldn’t expire, like, for instant, an Original vampire.

Alex stretched out her limbs and let her mind wander to Elijah; he had spent some of the time she had spent reading beside her, helping her look through books or discussing possible theories. At one point, he left her alone when his phone had rung; Alex had expected him to come back at some point, but he never had. The house was big enough that it would be easy to disappear for a few hours.

Exiting the bedroom, Alex glanced down the hallway. Elijah had only shown her the main areas; the kitchen, dining and main sitting room. He had also shown her which room he had set up for them to use while they stayed. Beyond that, Alex had no idea what was behind all of the doors. She walked back towards the staircase and took in the details of the half-finished home. Alex couldn’t help but imagine what it would have looked like if Klaus had ever been given a chance to finish the home. No doubt, it would have been extravagant.

At the top of the stairs, Alex called out, “Elijah?”

Her voice echoed and bounced through the empty halls, but he didn’t respond. She walked across the landing and looked down another long hallway; it almost seemed never-ending. Just before she turned to look downstairs, Alex spotted a door at the very far end of the hallway was sitting ajar. Every other door was closed, which meant someone had to have opened it.

Sticking her head through the door, Alex was surprised to see what looked like an art studio. There was a large table against one wall covered in a paint-splattered sheet. Sitting on it was several small canvases, piece of paper, paintbrushes of all sizes, and paints. Along the walls rested large canvases that were mostly covered with large white cloths, but one cloth was sitting on the ground, behind Elijah.

Stepping inside, Alex said, “Elijah?”

She walked slowly up behind him and took note of the painting before him. It was framed in an ornate gold frame; depicted were all of the Mikaelson siblings. Rebekah sat in the centre, dressed in a lavish green gown, her hair pinned up and decorated with flowers. To her left was Finn, dressed in a very smart looking black suit. Then came Elijah, who had his hand resting on Rebekah’s shoulder; he too was dressed very handsomely, but his suit was a dark charcoal grey. Standing behind Rebekah’s other shoulder was Klaus; his hand was resting higher on Rebekah’s shoulder, closer to her neck. And then Kol; he stood on her right, the grin on his lips perfectly matched the familiar smirk he wore.

If it were any other family, Alex could convince herself that they were a happy, wealthy family from the early twentieth century.

Alex asked, “Who painted this?”

It took a moment for Elijah to respond. “Niklaus.” His words were a faint whisper.

The look of pain that sat upon Elijah’s face made Alex’s heartache. Seeing him so torn was something she never wanted for him, but the situation with Klaus made it difficult. If there was some way to guarantee that everyone would be safe from Klaus, then she wouldn’t stop Elijah from waking his brother up so that he might have a chance at the family they all really wanted. But they had talked about it before, and there would be no chance that Klaus wouldn’t seek to murder each and every person Alex cared about.

Elijah was also carrying a lot of regrets when it came to his brother. After a thousand years, Elijah felt responsible for his younger brother. Alex had heard the stories from both Elijah and Rebekah about how Mikael had treated him; the abuse—physical and verbal—was cruel and unyielding. It was easy for Alex to understand that Elijah staying by Klaus’ side through everything, allowing Klaus to do as he pleased with little consequence, was Elijah desperately trying to make amends for not protecting him.

Alex had tried to help Elijah with his guilt. The pressure placed on older siblings to care and protect their younger siblings was something she had struggled with a lot. The difference between them was that Alex knew that she wasn’t accountable for Elena or Jeremy’s choices; she could hate the decisions they make, disagree with them, but the outcome fell upon them and not her. Alex would always be there to help her siblings, to comfort them, but it was up to them how they chose to live their life. It seemed that the Mikaelson siblings heavily leant on one another; even though they all liked to stand tall and claim they needed no one, whenever something went wrong, they would cling to one another. Elijah would take on the troubles from all of his siblings, and they would become his own. It was then his responsibility to clean up the mess and fix it, not the sibling—mainly Klaus—who had done the damage beforehand.

Elijah cleared his throat. “He painted this one when we were living in New Orleans; probably around 1919, I think.”

The painting of the Mikaelson’s was spectacular. Alex found it difficult to image Klaus covered in paint and standing in front of the canvas.

“I thought Finn and Kol were both in a coffin at that stage?” she asked.

Elijah nodded. “Finn was. Kol did get woken up briefly in 1821, but that was only for a short period.”

Alex smiled; she reached out and wrapped her hand around his arm. She rested her cheek against his shoulder. “I still find it fascinating that you and Klaus were instrumental in building New Orleans.”

A small smile graced Elijah’s lips. “It was a very good time for us.” The smile quickly faded, and the sad look returned to his eye. “But like everything, it didn’t last.”

Stepping around Elijah, Alex stood herself in front of him. He looked down at her, and one hand reached up to cup her face. Once his face would have become a mask, his stone features would have hidden the memories' pain and pretended that he wasn’t affected. But Elijah didn’t do that anymore; his sad eyes gazed at her, and she wanted nothing more than to take his pain away. Alex felt a small flicker of love in her chest that he was open about the weight on his heart.

She said, “I have faith that one day you will find that happiness.” She lifted her hand and cupped the side of his head, her fingers brushing his earlobe. “Even Klaus.”

His lips quirked with a small smile. “I hope you are right.”

Alex stretched up on her toes and pressed a sweet kiss to his mouth. She said, “You should know by now, I’m always right.”

“Of course, my apologies.”

Alex smiled widely. “Apology accepted.”

“Any luck with the cloaking spell?” he asked.

Alex huffed. “No. Sarah did promise to help, but she has to get through her finals first. I assume the same thing will apply to Bonnie, but she hasn’t called me back yet.”

Elijah nodded. “I guess we will need to find something else to do while we wait.”

Alex smirked and ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. She bit down on her lip and imagined what exactly they might occupy themselves with.

He chuckled at her and said, “That wasn’t exactly what I meant, Alexandra.”

“Maybe not exactly, but it crossed your mind.”

Elijah’s arm slid around her waist and pulled her body flush against his. “That it did.”

Pulling her in for another kiss, this one was slow and full of heat. It was almost teasing Alex with the idea of what could happen very shortly. Elijah kept one arm wrapped around her waist, the other holding her head up as he explored her mouth. Alex gripped the roots of his hair, tugging his head closer to her so that she could get a better taste of him.

The moment was broken when Rebekah’s voice echoed through the house. “Elijah! Alex!”

Breaking the kiss, Elijah sighed and mumbled, “Bloody siblings.”

Alex smirked and snuck another quick kiss on his lips before pulling back. She said, “Upstairs, Bekah.”

The blonde Original appeared in the doorway and frowned. Elijah’s arm was still wrapped tightly around Alex’s waist, not letting her step too far from him.

She said, “I thought I gave you plenty of time alone.”

Elijah frowned at his sister. “Was there something you needed?” he asked.

Rebekah smirked. “Relax, ‘Lijah. I wouldn’t have come back so soon if I didn’t have something I needed to say.”

Alex smiled and asked, “And where was it that you were exactly?”

Rebekah bit the corner of her lip. “Catching up with an old friend.”

“He wouldn’t happen to be blonde and a Sherrif’s Deputy?”

“Maybe.”

Elijah sighed. “Can you discuss her dating life after?”

“I suppose.” Alex smiled up at him.

“Well, if it wasn’t for Matt, I wouldn’t have anything to mention. So you really should thank my dating life,” said Rebekah.

Elijah pursed his lips.

“Alright, calm down. Matt mentioned that when he saw Kol, he was muttering under his breath. He heard Kol say, Esther.”

Elijah’s arms stiffened around Alex. “He did?”

Rebekah nodded. “I thought it was really weird that he was mumbling about our mother.”

“Esther again,” groaned Alex.

It couldn’t be a coincidence that the Council had all of that information about a linking spell in a folder labelled Esther. Now, Kol was heard mentioning her. It had to be connected; it would be too strange for it not to be.

“What do you mean again?” Rebekah asked.

Alex said, “Those folders about you and your family, there was one for your mother. That was where I found all of the notes on the linking spell.”

Rebekah frowned. “Our mother has been dead for over a thousand years. What use could she be to them?”

“I don’t know.”

“Could the Council perhaps be trying to contact our Mother? She is the one who created us; maybe they believe she can help them destroy us,” said Elijah.

“Maybe. It would be difficult for them to contact Esther without something of hers that would give them that kind of connection.”

“But why would she help them?” asked Rebekah. “She made us this way because she wanted us to be strong.”

Elijah said, “You know as well as I that our mother didn’t understand the consequences of what she did to us. There is no way she doesn’t see us from the other side and think differently of us; like all witches, she probably believes we are abominations.”

Alex hated hearing that from Elijah. For years, it was a statement she held true to. Vampires were against nature, abominations to be destroyed. But there was so much more to it. Nature is more powerful than witches seem to give her credit for. If Nature had never wanted vampires to exist, it never would have allowed it.

“Couldn’t Kol’s muttering have just been coincidental?” asked Rebekah.

“A witch could have done something to him. It is possible that when Matt stumbled upon him, he had tried to escape from whoever is cloaking him, and to detain him, they messed with his mind. But I have no way of really knowing unless we find him,” said Alex.

“Maybe for the time being,” said Elijah, “we should focus on something other than locating Kol. For the moment, we can’t do much other than wait. Maybe we should focus on the Council and see what we can find about linking spells?”

Alex could argue with that. Until Bonnie and Sarah returned to Mystic Falls, she couldn’t try anything about the cloaking spell.

“Alright,” she said, “but in the morning. It’s late, and I think I’m ready for bed.”

*

*

*

The pounding in his head was an unfamiliar pain. In his very long life, never had he experienced such pain before. It was piqued his curiosity as to what had happened to make the reoccurring beat. However, Kol was more inclined for it to stop and for the blasted ringing in his ear to go away too.

Blinking, Kol’s eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. Pushing himself up, he took in the room and rubbed the palm of his hand against his eye. A small bubble of laughter fell from his lips as he noticed the iron bars in front of him. He was in a cell. The other three walls were made of old brick covered in moss and cracks. There were no windows letting in any form of light; he could hear the sound of water dripping through the walls and a human heartbeat.

How exactly Kol had ended up in this cell, he couldn’t remember. The last thing he could recall was driving past the ‘Welcome to Mystic Falls’ sign and groaning in disgust that he had come back to the painfully dull town.

Standing up, Kol took a step forward and felt the hairs on his arms stand up. Moving his hand towards the bars, he felt a tingling sensation run through his body. It made him smirk; someone had infused the bars with magic. Clenching his hands around the bars, he tugged and laughed when they didn’t budge. _How very clever._

“You won’t be breaking through those bars, vampire.”

Kol turned his head and spotted a young man standing by a door. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and a lamp sat on the floor beside him. Kol wondered if he was the one who spelled the bars? Looking him up and down, Kol decided that he was nothing more than a guard.

“Where am I?” Kol asked.

The young man glared at him but didn’t respond.

“It’s rude to ignore your betters,” said Kol.

The young man pushed off the wall and walked across the room. The closer he got, the louder the pumping of his veins became.

Kol realised that he was quite hungry.

“You aren’t my better,” said the young man.

Kol smiled. “You sure about that?” Leaning his body against the bars, the magic crackled against his skin. If he was a young vampire, he had no doubt he would be whimpering in pain. But the magic almost tickled.

The young man’s glare faltered, and his eyes became uncertain. “Seems we need to increase the voltage for your cage.”

“Please do. It might give me a good massage. I have felt lately that my shoulders have become rather knotted.” Pressing his forehead to the bars, he asked, “I’m going to guess that you have a boss; what does he want?”

The young man seemed to contemplate his words. “The Council have a plan for you and your siblings.”

“The Council? Interesting.”

Kol had heard about the Council before. They were the coven of witches that Alex had once belonged too. He hadn’t focused too much on the details, they seemed like a bunch of crazies, but he knew that they wouldn’t mind the eradication of the vampire species like most witches.

“Could we get a move on their plan then?” he asked. “I have other things I need to do.”

The young man, probably witch, shook his head and walked back over to where he had been leaning against the wall.

“I was serious,” said Kol. “I came to Mystic Falls to meet my brother…are we still even in Mystic Falls?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?
> 
> Comments feed my creativity monster! Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

The Gilbert family home hadn’t changed much in the last few years. Walking up the porch steps, Alex spotted the porch swing that she had spent a ridiculous amount of time on. There were hours that had gone by with her reading, painting her toenails, talking to friends—the few that she had—about school, talking to Elena, Jeremy, their Mum, but there were also sad moments. She cried about her parents a lot on that swing, James too.

Pushing open the front door, Alex called out as she took in the messy hallway. It seemed that someone's toys had been spread all over the place.

“Jenna?”

A tired-looking Jenna stuck her head out from the kitchen with a wiggling child in her arms. She smiled at me and rested her head on the wall. “Hi.”

Alex smiled widely as the little boy in Jenna’s arms started to wiggle even more.

She said, “George! Look how big you are!”

Jenna stepped closer and passed George over to Alex.

Little George was born eleven months ago, exactly eight months after Jenna and Alaric tied the knot. The two of them had decided that there was no need to wait, and after Jenna realised about her bun in the oven, they just went for it. The two of them loved each other. Baby George had taken after his cousins and enjoyed causing as much trouble for Jenna as he could. His latest venture was finding objects that he shouldn’t have and hiding them to play with later. George also loved to run away. Once he had found that his little legs could help him escape bath time, he made sure to always get a game of tag in before Jenna could wash him.

George giggled as Alex covered him with kisses.

Jenna huffed. “Of course, you are happy to see her.” She wiped her forehead with her arm and headed towards the kitchen. “Would you like a coffee?” she asked.

Alex said, “Please.” She kissed George’s cheek and settled him on her hip. “Have you been giving your mum grief?”

She followed Jenna into the kitchen and stood on the opposite side of the island. She bounced slightly and tickled George’s stomach. George giggled and reached out to grab her cheek.

Alex laughed. “You are so much trouble.”

Jenna boiled the kettle and placed a bowl of mashed vegetables in front of Alex. “See if you can get him to eat?”

Alex nodded and popped George into his high chair. She grabbed the food and scooped up a spoon full before holding it out to him. George frowned and shook his head.

“Ha,” said Jenna.

Alex glanced over her shoulder and look at her aunt.

“What?” asked Jenna.

Alex just shook her head. “Okay, buddy. You have driven your mum crazy.”

“Well, if he didn’t, I’m sure you would have found a way,” said Jenna.

Alex just laughed. “Besides your son refusing to eat his veggies, how are things?”

Jenna pulled two cups from the cupboard and placed them on the counter. She wiggled her hand and said, “Alright. Alaric has been stupidly busy with work, which leaves me here on baby duty all day and most of the evening. By the time he is home, I have put down George and am ready to pass out.”

“So, no couple time?” asked Alex.

Jenna nodded. “Yeah. I think we miss being together, and Alaric misses Georgie.”

Alaric had become the Principle of Mystic Falls High the year Jeremy had graduated from High School. The hours were long, but the pay was certainly better.

Alex made a farting noise with her mouth, and George giggled. She took the chance of his mouth popping open to slip in the spoon of food. He was too busy giggling to get annoyed.

“Sounds like you need to give mum a break, little man.”

Jenna said, “I would love a night off. But who would take the little terror?”

“I’d take him for a few hours, and when Elena finishes college, you’ll have a babysitter for a whole week.” Alex got George to take another mouthful.

“You want to take him for a whole evening?” asked Jenna.

Alex glared at Jenna. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jenna bit her lip and tried to hide her smirk. “Nothing.”

Alex shook her head and gave George another mouthful. “Did you hear that, little man? Mum thinks that I can’t take care of you for a whole evening.”

“Alright then, after this Kol business is dealt with, you can babysit for a night. You can even bring Elijah with you.” Jenna crossed her arms over her chest; a look of amusement filled her eyes.

“Deal, but why wait?” Alex placed down the empty bowl. “And also, you are welcome.” She gestured to the empty bowl.

Jenna rolled her eyes as the kettle finished. “I thank you, and I don’t want to pull you away from finding Kol.” She turned to finish making the coffee.

Alex wiped off George’s face and carried him into the living room. Jenna had a whole bunch of toys set out, and as Alex placed him down, George ran straight for his blocks. He dropped onto his bottom and started to stack them. Jenna carried in the coffees and handed one over.

She sat down on the armchair and said, “I still can’t believe that Elena is about to graduate.”

Alex nodded. “I know. The last five years have gone really quick.”

“I’m just glad that she made it through college without any other…incidents.”

Alex glanced down at her cup.

Elena had been through a lot; she almost died in the car crash that killed their parents, and she technically died and came back to life so that Klaus could break his curse. Honestly, Elena had somehow come out the other side really well.

“If I have anything to do with it, she will be incident-free until she dies of old age.”

Jenna smiled. “Let’s hope.”

George waddled over to Alex and placed a block in her hand.

“Thanks, Buddy,” she said.

“So, how goes the search for Elijah’s brother?” asked Jenna.

Alex took a sip of her tea, then said, “It doesn’t. I have hit a roadblock.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Hopefully, when Sarah and Bonnie get back, we can find a way around it together.”

“You don’t sound too confident.”

Alex shrugged. “Kol is cloaked. It is never easy getting around such things.”

“I think you will find something; you always do.”

George took back the block he had handed to Alex and waddled back to his blocks. He stacked three of them before knocking it over and laughing.

“How often do you go chasing after Kol?”

Alex sat down on the floor beside George and took a sip of her drink. “I don’t normally go with, and it isn’t a constant thing. Elijah has older sibling disease.”

She smiled as George clapped as he successfully stacked four blocks.

“Oh yes, the rare disease that forces the eldest child to always keep their siblings in check.” Jenna snorted into her cup. “I was always glad that Miranda was the eldest.”

Alex laughed. “I’m sure. I suppose it is more for them. They have been alive for a thousand years, and they have only ever really had each other. There was also the fact that Klaus had the nasty habit of putting them to sleep whenever he felt like it.”

“Yeah, that is just wrong,” said Jenna.

“I know. I think Elijah is just worried that if he doesn’t check in that one of them might disappear.”

“And since Klaus is technically dead…”

“He doesn’t want to lose anyone else,” Alex finished.

She never wanted to keep their family apart. Elijah’s struggles about Klaus had been something she had seen. They had tried to talk about it, but Alex found it difficult to see past the monster that she had experienced. Elijah had told her stories about human Klaus and the times when he was a good brother, but they seemed rare. Rebekah had also talked about him, Klaus seemed to be her closest brother, and while she thought he deserved to stay in a coffin for a hundred years or so, she missed him too.

“They will wake him up one day, just not when any of us are alive to see it,” Alex said.

Jenna looked surprised. “Really?”

Alex nodded. “The spell keeping Klaus locked up will break when I die. At that point, Elijah is free to wake him up, and they can move on with their lives.” She took a sip of her drink and grabbed a block that rolled away from George.

Jenna frowned. “Do you often talk about Elijah moving on once you’re gone?”

Alex handed the block to George and looked up at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

“You just brushed over the fact that Elijah will continue to live, and you will die. Is that not an issue for you both?” she asked.

Alex bit down on her bottom lip. “We’ve talked about it.”

And they had. It was never a planned conversation or something either of them had brought up intentionally, but when the subject had turned to Alex’s mortality and Elijah’s never-ending life, it had never ended well. Elijah seemed unable to acknowledge that one day Alex would die. He seemed to believe that there would be another option, but there wasn’t. Alex had tried to tell him that the next seventy years would be amazing, but that was all she wanted. There was not one bit of her that liked the idea of living forever. Alex knew that witches had their ways of slowing down their ageing, and maybe she might do that, but the idea of living on after all of her family had died didn’t sound like something she wanted to experience.

“Not a good subject between you too?” Jenna said.

Alex sighed. “No. I have no desire to be immortal. I have always seen myself living a life of adventure, and to be honest, had never considered any sort of possibility of dying of old age.”

“You guessed that it would be kicking vampire ass?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, kind of. The Council always seemed like my life. And then, after what happened with Elena, I didn’t know where I was going to end up.”

She put down her cup as George jumped up and stumbled over to her. She smiled at him and grabbed him as he jumped into her lap.

“I figured that living one day at a time would be a good way to start.” She tickled his tummy. “And so far, it’s been good.”

“Have you asked Elijah what he thinks will happen?” asked Jenna.

“No. Elijah doesn’t seem to want to even consider what will happen.”

“He’s in denial?”

“Yep.”

George squirmed in Alex’s lap and pointed at a small stuffed fox next to the side table. Alex reached for the stuffed animal and placed it in George’s hands. He let out a squeal of delight and hugged it against his chest before he started to suck on the animal's ear.

“Where is Elijah, by the way?” asked Jenna.

“He went to meet someone,” sighed Alex. “Apparently, it was best if he went alone.” She rolled her eyes at the statement.

Poking George in the stomach, he glanced up at her and smiled.

A small jingle from the kitchen caused Jenna to stand up. She walked over to the island and picked up her phone. Her face turned into a wide grin.

“Good news?” asked Alex.

Jenna nodded. “Alaric is finishing early. He will be home by four.” She put down her coffee cup and started replying.

“In that case, why don’t you two go out for dinner?” suggested Alex.

“You want to babysit tonight?” Jenna asked.

“Yeah. I mean, until Bonnie and Sarah come back, there isn’t much else to do. I may as well spend time with my little cousin.” Alex smiled down at George.

His eyes were starting to droop.

“Let me ask Alaric,” said Jenna.

*

*

*

The constant chattering of the humans around him was starting to etch on Elijah’s nerves. He had driven from Mystic Falls to Wilson’s Edge, which was a thirty-minute trip, to meet with a contact who could possibly help him. Not just with the situation surrounding Kol, but according to this vampire, they had information on the Council too. Elijah had agreed to meet this vampire at a popular café in Wilson’s Edge; it was flooded with customers, and Elijah had managed to grab a table that sat in the back and gave him a while view of the place.

Leaving Alex had been difficult that morning. He had woken up first from the constant buzzing of his phone and a perturbed Alex who had shoved his shoulder until he made the phone stop. The missed calls had been from an unknown number; normally, he would have ignored them and laid back down in bed. The sun hadn’t risen, and Alex seemed to be in a cuddling mood. However, Elijah always had a text message from the same number.

It said: _I have information about your brother and the witch coven; The Council._

Those words were enough for Elijah to sit up and organise to meet this vampire. At least, he was assuming it was a vampire; witches didn’t tend to reach out to vampires, and neither did werewolves. Elijah was also aware that this vampire would probably want something in exchange for his information, and depending on how useful he was, would vary what Elijah would be willing to provide.

Elijah was hoping that the lead would turn out useful. It seemed that Kol’s disappearance was linked to the Council or at least a witch. With everything that Alex had found from the male witch that had attacked her, the fact that Kol had returned to Mystic Falls, and that he was now cloaked, it all just seemed to be connected.

His concerns weren’t only for Kol, however. Everything that had happened to Alex since she had turned on the Council had worried him. The constant stream of witches showing up, trying to kill her, had Elijah always slightly on edge. When Alex had opened Raven’s and was constantly making herself vulnerable around supernatural’s of all kinds, Elijah had to stop himself from hovering. He knew it was something he tended to do; his own siblings had mentioned his habits often over their long lives. But unlike with his siblings, Alex’s life seemed so fragile. Elijah was well aware of how strong Alex was; her magic had never failed her, but Elijah feared that it would or the day that he wouldn’t be there to save her if something happened. It was only days ago that he had been in a different state when she was attacked, and yes, Alex had been okay, but that didn’t stop his mind from screaming at him.

Elijah just needed something. Anything.

Checking his watch, the time ticked one minute past the agreed-upon time. He let out a sigh and wondered if the vampire had chickened out. It wouldn’t be the first time that a vampire had reached out before changing their mind. They always seemed to think at first that making a deal with an Original would solve their problems, but when it came to that point, they ran away scared.

Glancing around the café, Elijah pulled out his phone and dialled Alex’s number. She had mentioned visiting Jenna but just wanted to check in with her.

“You last an hour and a half, I’m impressed,” answered Alex.

Elijah let out a half-laugh, half sigh. “I just wanted to check-in.”

“I know,” she said. “I expected it.”

“Am I that predictable? I was under the impression that I was a mystery?” he asked.

Alex snorted. “I think you are confused.”

“Possibly.”

“Have you already wrapped up your _meeting_?” she asked.

Elijah sighed.

“Oh, I know that sound. They’re late, aren’t they?”

“Sometimes, it concerns me how well you know me.”

Alex laughed. “After spending five years with someone, it’s to be expected.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“And yes, this vampire is late.”

“Well, if you had let me come, we could have found a way to occupy ourselves.”

The teasing tone in her voice brought a smile to Elijah’s face.

“If you were still with me, I don’t believe I would have ever made it here. You are far too distracting.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing.”

“Depends on the day.”

The sound of a giggling child caught Elijah’s ear through the phone.

“George, that’s my boob,” said Alex.

Elijah chuckled. “How is the little one?”

“Trouble.”

George giggled again.

“But he is so big.”

“And your Aunt?” asked Elijah.

“She good, tired because of George, but good. I have offered my babysitting services tonight so that Jenna and Alaric can go out on a date.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

Alex popped the ‘p’ loudly, causing George to giggle some more.

“And are you doing this alone?”

“Why?” asked Alex, “Did you want me to sneak you in so we can make out on the couch while the baby is asleep in the other room? That’s very high school.”

Elijah smiled. “No. I thought I would simply assist you in caring for the child while Jenna and Alaric are out.”

“What? So no make out then? Cause that sounds like a missed opportunity.”

Elijah sensed another vampire before he locked eyes with him. He could see the fear in his eyes as he entered the café; the vampire self-consciously pulled his cardigan tighter around his chest.

“It seems I haven’t been stood up after all,” said Elijah.

“That’s something,” said Alex. “I’ll talk to you later. Try to get the information out of him before you shove a stake through his chest.”

Elijah frowned. “That wasn’t the plan.”

“Either way, love you.”

“Love you too.”

As Elijah placed his phone down on the table, the vampire had crossed the room and stopped behind the chair. The vampire rubbed the back of his head and cleared his throat.

“Not many people would have the balls to contact me directly.” Elijah clasped his hands together and rested them on the table. “In fact, how did you get my direct number?”

The vampire’s jaw clenched. “I found it.”

“You found it?”

He nodded. “I’m good with computers.”

“Right.” Elijah eyed the vampire for a moment before he nodded at the chair opposite him. “Tell me what you know.”

The vampire sat. “Before I tell you anything, I wanted to make a deal.”

“Is that right?” asked Elijah.

“Yeah.”

“What do you want?” Elijah was actually curious. Sometimes what people would ask for surprised him.

“I want a daylight ring.”

Elijah paused. The vampire had walked into the café during the morning. Sun was shining.

“Not for me,” the vampire added.

That made more sense.

“I believe I can do that,” agreed Elijah.

If the information was helpful, he knew Alex would be more than happy to create one.

“What do you know?” Elijah asked.

“How do I know that you will get me the ring?” asked the vampire.

Elijah sighed. “I give you my word.”

The vampire seemed to hesitate. But only for a moment. “Alright.”

Sitting forward, the vampire pulled out his phone and placed it on the table. He slid it across to Elijah, who picked it up. One the screen was a photo of Finn.

Elijah frowned. Not the brother he had been expecting.

“That’s your brother, right?” asked the vampire.

“What’s your name?” Elijah asked.

“Eric.”

“Eric, yes, that’s my brother. Why do you have a photo of him?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Explain it.”

“My sire is a woman named Sage. She turned me around two hundred years ago.”

Elijah almost smiled at the name. Sage. Possibly the long lost love that Finn had claimed to go looking for.

“She told me that she was in love with the vampire who turned her but that he was locked away by his family. For years, we have been trying to track him down. Track your family down. Except it seemed that your other brother, the Hybrid…”

“Klaus.”

“Yeah, Klaus. He always had witches hiding Finn. He moved so often that it was hard to track him, magically or through records.”

“He’s paranoid,” said Elijah.

“I got that.” Eric fiddled with the sleeves of his cardigan. “About five years ago, I got lucky. Sage and I managed to find Finn.”

“Once I woke him up.”

Eric nodded. “We managed to find him a week after he left Mystic Falls. Sage and Finn were reunited, and I figured that would be our search over.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I left to give Sage and Finn some space. I headed back to my apartment in L.A. for a year before reaching out to Sage to check in on her. She seemed happy. But it was seven months ago when she disappeared completely.”

“Finn?”

“Him too. I tried calling Sage, tracking her digitally, tried magic. But it was like she no longer existed. I thought for a while that maybe she was…dead.” Eric shifted. “I tried Finn too, and nothing…what I did manage to find was an old friend of Sage’s who told me that she had headed to London with Finn to meet a group of witches. I tried to track down who these witches were, but all that I could find was a coven called ‘The Council.’”

Elijah frowned. Had the Council taken Finn like he believed they had Kol?

“I take it you have heard of them.”

Elijah nodded. “Yes.”

“I don’t know a lot about them; they keep themselves well hidden. I have learned that they have small groups in every major city; they hunt vampires and recruit witches. They have a large H.Q. somewhere in the U.S., but I couldn’t get anything about it or even the witches that work for them.”

“Is there something you can tell me that I don’t know?” asked Elijah. So far, Eric had told him nothing other than that his other brother was also missing.

“They have a plan that they think will work in eradicating every single vampire on the planet, and your brother, Finn. Is a part of it.”

*

*

*

The four walls surround him with buzzing with magic. The longer Kol sat on the ground in his cell, the more aware he became of the magic flowing through the place. It seemed that the witches who had spelled the bars had also laced the brick walls with the same kind of barrier. Anytime he touched the walls, he could feel the prickling sensation through his skin. Even the floor had a similar charge. It wasn’t unbearable, though; Kol had grown bored rather quickly after his guard had refused to say anything further.

Things had become interesting at one point when the room had started to shake. It had come from nowhere, and it had startled the guard enough that he had fled out of the door and returned a minute later with two other men. Both of them were older.

All three had glared at Kol like he had been responsible for the tremor. But he hadn’t moved from where he was lying. He had stretched out across the floor, tucked his hands behind his head and tried to find a way to occupy his mind. Kol had only sat up when his cell had shaken, and dust fell from the ceiling.

The murmured words shared between his guards had alluded to a possible tracking spell. The witches that were containing him had probably cloaked his location, which explained the lack of rescue. Another witch could be trying to locate Kol, most likely Elijah’s blonde witch that had the special power boost, but could she have been strong enough to shake the whole room. Probably.

Kol had been hoping that Elijah or Rebekah would come knocking; after all, he hadn’t spoken to them in a few weeks, and it was about time for Elijah’s usual check-in. Every few months, he would just appear, and after a quick drink and a lecture, he would disappear. Kol knew that Elijah felt responsible for them all, but he wished Elijah would just let them go. But maybe after he had helped Kol out of his little problem.

When the dagger had finally be removed from his chest, Kol had spent enough time watching Elijah to know how happy he was with his blonde witch. He was waisting time constantly worrying about his siblings when he really should focus on her. Kol had been jealous when he had first realised the love his brother had, but he hadn’t dared to try and break it—not like he would if it were Klaus. For the first time in a thousand years, Elijah was happy, and he deserved it. Out of all of them, he really did. And even though he would never admit it to his siblings, he had left to try and find his own happiness.

Kol let out a heavy sigh and heard the soft beat of a second heart. The guard that was currently sitting in the corner of the room was sleeping, and the patter of his heart had always put Kol to sleep, but this new heart woke him right up.

He didn’t move from his position—he was comfortable for the most part—and listened as the footsteps grew closer. The heartbeat was calm; whoever the stranger was, unlike his guards, they had no fear in coming to face him.

“Kol Mikaelson, I hope you are finding your room comfortable.”

Kol opened his eyes and took in the stranger.

He was an older man, dressed in a dark navy blue three-piece suit with a black tie and matching pocket square. His shoes gleamed in the faint light, as did his balding head.

The man said, “And I do hope that your guards have expressed you the proper curtsies for someone such as yourself.”

Kol sighed. “No, they have not. I did ask for a pretty blonde to sink my teeth into, but it seemed that they were unwilling or possibly too lazy to bother.”

The older man’s face didn’t falter.

“As for my cell,” continued Kol. “It’s not the worst I’ve ever been in.”

The man nodded. “I suppose an endless darkness where you can hear everything that is happening around you but unable to do anything would be worse than a damp cellar.”

“That is one example, but still not the worst.” Kol let out a sigh and rolled his shoulders. “But you aren’t here to discuss me, so why are you here?”

The man walked across the room and grabbed the back of one of the chairs. He carried it across the room and placed it beside the bars. He was just out of Kol’s reach.

The man said, “I am here for one reason, and that is to ask you a question.”

Kol chuckled. “How ominous.”

“You can choose to answer. I will not force an answer from you because if you don’t answer me, then I can simply find another who will.”

Kol rolled his eyes. “If you can find another, then why me? Surely you understand the type of monster I am.”

“You were the easiest to lure.”

Kol frowned. “I don’t know if I should be offended or not.”

The man shrugged. “Again, the choice is yours.”

Kol leant forward and tried to read the man’s features. There was no hint of any sort of emotion other than confidence. Whomever this man was, he was a puzzle.

“Now, to my question.”

“Yes, ask away.”

“Where is Klaus’ body?”

Kol laughed. Of all the things, Klaus’ body.

“Is that your answer?”

Kol smirked and pushed himself to stand. He walked towards the bars and grabbed them. The magic tingled against his hands. He said, “No one knows where Klaus’ body is.”

“So it’s true then.” The man stood and waved his hand, the chair moved back across the room.

“What’s true?”

“The Original vampires allowed the Ravenwood witch to hide their brother’s body.”

Kol wouldn’t exactly agree. Alexandra had told them all after awakening them that Klaus would remain hidden until her final breath. Then only Elijah would be able to find him. At the time, Kol hadn’t cared. A century without Klaus seemed like a great vacation.

“The Ravenwood witch didn’t exactly give us much of a choice,” said Kol.

The man let out a humming noise. “Interesting, I guess we did collect the wrong brother.”

Kol frowned. “I wouldn’t try going after Elijah.”

The man frowned; for the first time, his straight face changed. “Why? I’m not afraid of that traitor.”

Kol smirked. “You should be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?
> 
> Comments make me happy! Thanks for reading.


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